Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CLEANS'ED, pp. [clenz'ed.]

Purified; made clean; purged; healed.

CLEANS'ER, n. [clenz'er.]

He or that which cleanses; in medicine, a detergent. – Arbuthnot.

CLEANS'ING, a. [clenz'ing.]

Adapted to cleanse and purify.

CLEANS'ING, n. [clenz'ing.]

The act of purifying or purging. – Mark i. 44. Luke v. 14.

CLEANS'ING, ppr. [clenz'ing.]

Purifying; making clean; purging; removing foul or noxious matter from; freeing from guilt.

CLEAN'-TIM-BER-ED, a.

Well-proportioned. [Not in use.] – Shak.

CLEAR, a. [W. claer, clear, bright, from llaer, a reflux, llaeru, to ebb, to clear, or W. eglur, clear, from llur, extended, (like floor;) Ir. gleair, lear, leir and glor; Arm. sclear; L. clarus; Fr. clair; Sp. and Port. claro; It. chiaro; D. klaar; G. klar; Sw. and Dan. klar. See Glare and Glory.]

1. Open; free from obstruction; as, a clear plat of ground; the way is clear.
2. Free from clouds, or fog; serene; as, a clear day.
3. Free from foreign matter; unmixed; pure; as, clear water; clear sand; clear air; clear glass.
4. Free from any thing that creates doubt or uncertainty; apparent; evident; manifest; not obscure; conspicuous; that is, open to the mind; as, the reason is clear.
5. Unclouded; luminous; not obscured; as, a clear sun; a clear shining after a rain. – 2 Sam. xxiii.
6. Unobstructed; unobscured; as, a clear view.
7. Perspicacious; sharp; as, a clear sight.
8. Not clouded with care, or ruffled by passion; cheerful; serene; as, a clear aspect. – Milton.
9. Evident; undeniable; indisputable; as, the victory was clear. – Milton.
10. Quick to understand; prompt; acute. Mother of science, now I feel thy power / Within me clear. – Milton.
11. Free from guilt or blame; innocent; unspotted; irreproachable. – 2 Cor. vii. In action faithful, and in honor clear. – Pope.
12. Free from bias; unprepossessed; not preoccupied; impartial; as, a clear judgment. – Sidney.
13. Free from debt, or obligation; not liable to prosecution; as, to be clear of debt or responsibility. – Gay.
14. Free from deductions, or charges; as, clear gain or profit. – Locke.
15. Not entangled; unembarrassed; free; as, the cable is clear. A ship is clear, when she is so remote from shore or other object, as to be out of danger of striking, or to have sea room sufficient.
16. Open; distinct; not jarring, or harsh; as, a clear sound; a clear voice.
17. Liberated; freed; acquitted of charges; as, a man has been tried and got clear.
18. Free from spots or any thing that disfigures; as, a clear skin. Clear is followed by from or by of. Thou shalt be clear from this my oath. – Gen. xxiv. The air is clear of damp exhalations. – Temple.

CLEAR, adv.

1. Plainly; not obscurely; manifestly.
2. Clean; quite; entirely; wholly; indicating entire separation; as, to cut a piece clear off; to go clear away; but in this sense its use is not elegant. Clear or in the clear, among joiners and carpenters, denotes the space within walls, or length and breadth clear or exclusive of the thickness of the wall.

CLEAR, v.i.

1. To become free from clouds or fog; to become fair; often followed by up, off, or away; as, the sky clears; the weather clears up; it clears away; it clears off.
2. To be disengaged from incumbrances, distress or entanglements; to become free or disengaged. He that clears at once will relapse. – Bacon.

CLEAR, v.t.

1. To make clear; to fine; to remove any thing foreign; to separate from any foul matter; to purify; to clarify; as, to clear liquors.
2. To free from obstructions; as, to clear the road.
3. To free from any thing noxious or injurious; as, to clear the ocean of pirates; to clear the land of enemies.
4. To remove any incumbrance, or embarrassment; often followed by off or away; as, to clear off debts; to clear away rubbish.
5. To free; to liberate, or disengage; to exonerate; as, to clear a man from debt, obligation, or duty.
6. To cleanse; as, to clear the hands from filth; to clear the bowels.
7. To remove any thing that obscures, as clouds or fog; to make bright; as, to clear the sky; sometimes followed by up. – Dryden. Milton.
8. To free from obscurity, perplexity or ambiguity; as, to clear a question or theory; to clear up a case or point. – Prior.
9. To purge from the imputation of guilt; to justify or vindicate. How shall we clear ourselves? – Gen. xliv. That will by no means clear the guilty. – Ex. xxxiv.
10. In a legal sense, to acquit on trial, by verdict; as, the prisoner has been tried and cleared.
11. To make gain or profit, beyond all expenses and charges; as, to clear ten per cent. by a sale of goods, or by a voyage.
12. To remove wood from land; to cut down trees, remove or burn them, and prepare land for tillage or pasture; as, to clear land for wheat.
13. To leap over or pass by without touching, or failure; as, to clear a hedge or ditch. To clear a ship at the custom house, is to exhibit the documents required by law, give bonds or perform other acts requisite, and procure a permission to sail, and such papers as the law requires. To clear the land, in seamen's language, is to gain such a distance from shore, as to have open sea room, and be out of danger from the land. To clear the hold, is to empty or unload a ship. To clear a ship for action, or to clear for action, is to remove all incumbrances from the decks, and prepare for an engagement.

CLEAR'AGE, n.

The removing of any thing. [Little used.]

CLEAR'ANCE, n.

A certificate that a ship or vessel has been cleared at the custom house; permission to sail.

CLEAR'ED, pp.

Purified; freed from foreign matter, or from incumbrance; made manifest; made luminous; cleansed; liberated; acquitted.

CLEAR'ER, n.

That which clears, purifies, or enlightens; that which brightens. – Addison.

CLEAR'ING, n.

1. A defense; justification; vindication. – 2 Cor. vii.
2. A place or tract of land cleared of wood for cultivation; a common use of the word in America.
3. The act of making clear.

CLEAR'ING, ppr.

Purifying; removing foul matter, incumbrances, or obstructions; making evident, or luminous; cleansing; liberating; disengaging; acquitting; making gain beyond all costs and charges.

CLEAR'LY, adv.

1. Plainly; evidently; fully; as, the fact is clearly proved.
2. Without obstruction; luminously; as, to shine clearly.
3. With clear discernment; as, to understand clearly.
4. Without entanglement, or confusion. – Bacon.
5. Plainly; honestly; candidly. Deal clearly and impartially with yourselves. – Tillotson.
6. Without reserve, evasion or subterfuge. – Davies.

CLEAR'NESS, n.

1. Freedom from foul or extraneous matter; purity; as, the clearness of water, or other liquor.
2. Freedom from obstruction or incumbrance; as, the clearness of the ground.
3. Freedom from fogs or clouds; openness; as, the clearness of the sky. It generally expresses less than brightness or splendor. – Ex. xxiv.
4. Distinctness; perspicuity; luminousness; as, the clearness of reason, of views, of arguments, of explanations.
5. Plainness, or plain dealing; sincerity; honesty; fairness; candor. – Bacon.
6. Freedom from imputation of ill. – Shak.
7. Freedom from spots, or any thing that disfigures; as, the clearness of the skin.

CLEAR-SEE-ING, a.

Having a clear sight or understanding.

CLEAR'-SHIN-ING, a. [clear and shine.]

Shining with brightness, or unobstructed splendor. – Shak.

CLEAR'-SIGHT-ED, a. [clear and sight.]

Seeing with clearness; having acuteness of sight; discerning; perspicacious; as, clear-sighted reason; a clear-sighted judge.

CLEAR-SIGHT-ED-NESS, n.

Acute discernment. – Bp. Barlow.

CLEAR'-STARCH, v.t. [clear and starch.]

To stiffen and clear with starch, and by clapping with the hands; as, to clear-starch muslin.

CLEAR'-STARCH-ER, n.

One who clear starches.

CLEAR'-STARCH-ING, ppr.

1. Stiffening and clearing with starch.
2. n. The act of stiffening and clearing with starch.