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> bof 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> cslang : having no contraband (as weapons or drugs) in one's possession9: habitually neat

— clean·ness \ˈklēn-nəs\ noun