Word: clean Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *klainī Old English clǣne Middle English clene English clean From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), West Frisian klien (“small”), klean (“clean”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”). Pronunciation: /kliːn/, [kʰl̥iːn], [kʰl̥ĩːn], /kleːn/, [kʰl̥eːn] 1. Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled. Example: Are these dishes clean? Your room is finally clean! For a baby, happiness is a full bottle and a clean diaper. Example: Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls. 2. Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled. Example: clean steel 3. Free of contamination, (unwanted) germs, infection, or disease. Example: Insert a clean swab into your nose. Example: "Serious as cognitohazard." Lillihammer danced down the corridor towards them, doing little pirouettes and leaping from toe to toe. "Reuben Wirth no longer exists. Gonna have to get Forsythe to do that brain scan to make sure I'm clean, but otherwise yeah. Poof." 4. Free of contamination, (unwanted) germs, infection, or disease. Example: I want to make sure my fiancé is clean before we are married. 5. Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects. Labels: slang Example: Our team won, but it wasn't clean. 6. Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects. 7. Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects. Example: clean land Example: clean timber 8. Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects. Example: Put a clean sheet of paper into the printer. 9. Free of immorality or criminality. Example: Our kids can watch this movie because it is clean. Example: Create in me a clean heart, O God. 10. Free of immorality or criminality. Example: go clean Example: I've been clean this time for eight months. 11. Free of immorality or criminality. Example: It was my dream to be a Soviet spy. The vetting process started, and I was “clean”: no Jews in either my background or my wife's, no relatives abroad, already a member of the Soviet Communist Party, high marks on exams, three foreign languages, no dissident inclinations[…] Example: "If the Tramells hadn't passed away, we still wouldn't know. The background check was clean." "How can it be clean, for fuck's sake?" I knocked back the whiskey in one swallow. "Eva's mother used Monica's name, birthdate, and family history, but she never opened a line of credit, which is how most identity theft is discovered." 12. Free of immorality or criminality. Labels: informal Example: I'm clean, officer. You can go ahead and search me if you want. 13. Free of immorality or criminality. Labels: informal 14. Free of infiltration by covert listening or recording devices (bugs), enemy spies, etc. Example: We are currently clean on OPSEC. Example: "[Are you sure the] room is clean?" "As a whistle. It's swept at irregular intervals every week." "That still leaves time to plant a bug[…]" 15. Empty. Example: The cargo hold is clean. Example: Mister, I want to see a clean dinner plate or there'll be no dessert for you. 16. Smooth, exact, and performed well. Example: I'll need a sharper knife to make clean cuts. Example: a clean leap over a fence 17. That does not damage the environment (as much as some alternative). Example: clean energy Example: clean coal 18. Allowing an uninterrupted flow over surfaces, without protrusions such as racks or landing gear. 19. Having the undercarriage and flaps in the up position. 20. Well-proportioned; shapely. Example: clean limbs 21. Cool or neat. Labels: informal Example: Wow, dude, those are some clean shoes ya got there! 22. Utter, complete, total; pure; free from restraint. Example: a clean sweep Example: When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of corners of thy field.