Main Entry: ¹clean

Pronunciation: \ˈklēn\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English clene, from Old English clǣne; akin to Old High German kleini delicate, dainty

Date: before 12th century

1 a : free from dirt or pollution <changed to clean clothes> <clean solar energy> b : free from contamination or disease <a clean wound> c : free or relatively free from radioactivity <a clean atomic explosion>
2 a : unadulterated, pure <the clean thrill of one's first flight> b of a precious stone : having no interior flaws visible c : free from growth that hinders tillage <clean farmland>
3 a : free from moral corruption or sinister connections of any kind <a candidate with a clean record>; also : free from violations <a clean driving record> b : free from offensive treatment of sexual subjects and from the use of obscenity <a clean joke> c : observing the rules : fair <a clean fight>
4 : ceremonially or spiritually pure <and all who are clean may eat flesh — Leviticus 7:19(Revised Standard Version)>
5 a : thorough, complete <a clean break with the past> b : deftly executed : skillful <clean ballet technique> c : hit beyond the reach of an opponent <a clean single to center>
6 a : relatively free from error or blemish : clear; specifically : legible <clean copy> b : unencumbered <clean bill of sale>
7 a : characterized by clarity and precision : trim <a clean prose style> <architecture with clean almost austere lines> b : even, smooth <a clean edge> <a sharp blow causing a clean break> c : free from impedances to smooth flow (as of water or air) <a clean airplane> <a ship with a clean bottom>
8 a : empty <the ship returned with a clean hold> b : free from drug addiction <has been clean for six months> c slang : having no contraband (as weapons or drugs) in one's possession
9 : habitually neat

— clean·ness \ˈklēn-nəs\ noun