cleanse 
3. Toromovo; wash nr purge away. 
The leches waisshcd softly his woimdcs, and leidc ther- 
to mini- Mini oviicmcntes in el:' mi- the vcnym. 
M.'.lni <K. K. T. S.), iii. UW. 
Not all her odorous tears run <-l,'<in*<- her i rime. Itrt/den. 
4. In oaliro-iiriiilini/, to rentier (the undyed 
parts) white and clean by removing tiw xoeM 
of mordant froin them by immersion in a bath 
of cow-dung and wnrin water, or in some arti- 
ficial substitute; to dung. 5. In linirim/, to 
remove tin- \east from (the lioer).=Syn. 1. Clean, 
. >, r , /, an 
U.t iiitriiiiK. To become clean. 
The clondes wux eh-rc, rlfntii tin' ayre. 
l>r*lrneli<,ii ,,J' Tfui, (K. K. T. S.), 1. 10.'.. r i. 
Drinking id.-." "I I hut muddle vnsiiiionric water: and thus 
relume t In \ cUanting in>m it 1 1 iheir .sinnes. 
t'Kirlmx, PHgltmagO, p. '1W. 
cleanser (klen'zcr), n. One who or that which 
cleanses. 
Honey (it roses, taken internally, Is u good cleiinner. 
ArlUtlnl.:'. 
clean-shaped (kli-n'sliapt), a. Symmetrical in 
shape; wcll-priipiii'l ioned. 
cleansible, ". See dm usable. 
cleansing (klt-n'/ing), . n. [Ppr. of cleanse, v.~\ 
Adapted to cleanse and purify ; designed for or 
devoted to purifying. Cleansing days, Ah \w.i 
ncsday mul the three days following. Cleansing week. 
Satllf a- <'lxf'' iri: /, (whieh sec. under i-lmnte'). 
cleansing-vat ftlen'obag-yftt), n. In i>mrin;/. 
a vat in which the fermentation of the beer is 
completed. The veast passes out of a bung- 
hole, and the supply is kept up from a store-vat, 
clean-timberedt (klen'tim'berd), a. Well-pro- 
portioned. [Bare.] 
I think Hector was not so citan-timbered. 
Shak., L. L. L, v. 2. 
clean-up (klen'up), n. 1. A general cleaning. 
[Colloq.] 2. In gold-mining: (a) The operation 
of separating and saving the gold and amalgam 
after the auriferous rock or gravel has been for 
a certain length of time through the sluices or 
under the stamps, (b) The gold obtained at a 
given time by the above process. [Cordilleran 
mining region.] 
This specimen hut a small trifle . . . 
Was his last week's clean up and his all. 
Bret llarte, His Answer to IJer Letter. 
clear (kler), a. and n. [< ME. clere, cler, < OF. 
cler, clair, F. clair = Pr. clar = Sp. Pg. claro = 
It. chitiro = MD. klaer, D. klaar = Icel. kldrr = 
Sw. Dan. G. klar, < L. clarus, clear, bright, bril- 
liant, famous, glorious. From the same source 
are claret, clarify, clarity, declare, chiaroscuro, 
etc.] I. a. 1. Free from darkness or opacity; 
bright; brilliant; luminous; unclouded; not 
obscured. 
I will darken the earth in the clear day. Amos viii. 9. 
It is almost clear dawn. Shale., M. for M., Iv. 2. 
2f. Bright-colored; gay; showy; magnificent. 
Him that is clothed witli clear clothing. 
Wyelif, Jas. ii. S. 
3. Free from anything that would impair trans- 
parency or purity of color ; pellucid ; trans- 
parent: as, clear water; a clear complexion. 
'Ill'- stream is so transparent, pure, and clear. 
Denhain, Cooper's Hill. 
As clear as glass 
'111-' water ran in ripples o'er that strand. 
William Morrit, Earthly Paradise, II. 222. 
Soft, gentle, loving eyes that gleam 
Clear as a starlit mountain stream. 
0. W. Holmes, At the Pantomime. 
Specifically 4. In glass-working, free from 
etching, depolish, or anything which could dull 
the surface. Objects partially depolished are 
said to be half-clear. 5. Not confused or dull; 
quick and exact in action, as the mind or its 
faculties ; acute, as the senses : as, a clear mind ; 
a 1-1,11 f head. 
So rounds he to a separate mind 
From whence clear memory may begin. 
Tennyson, In Memoiiam, xlv. 
Thine eyes, 
Were they but clear, would see a fiery host 
Above thee. Bryant, Constellations. 
6. Manifest to the mind; comprehensible; well 
defined or apprehended. In philosophy, as a tech- 
nical term, clear is opi>oged to obscure, and does not imply 
that the idea to which it is applied is so perfectly uppi c- 
hendcd as would he implied by the adjective i/i\/i'tir/(i>p- 
jMi.seil to i/i</i*ti/irl or ct'/ii'iiKi'd). These words were Hist 
n- it technically as applied to vision by writers on optics. 
CTrarvision occurs wnere there is sufficient light; ili*ttn<'t 
vision, where the parts of the object seen can be recog- 
nized. Descartes extended the terms to the mental apple 
hension of truth, which he considered analogous to vision. 
Leilmit/ yave more technically logical definitions, espe- 
cially nf the term distinct (which see), and added the 
1037 
Simple Ideas are clear when they re mich as the oh- 
jieM themselves fnini whenee they ueie laki n <li>( or 
nuilit, in a wcll-onlei ed sensation or perreption, : 
them. Look*, Human I mlei slaliiiin;,', II. xxix. 2. 
\ < inn ept is said to he rlnrr when the decree of eon 
scii intnens issneha-senahles UK todistinirilili it UK a hole 
from others. Sir M'. Itatnill"" . l.< '-tuit -on |.o-i^ i 
It was clear that, of whatever sins the K inu' of Prussia 
might have heen uuilr.. he u L- now Hi. HIM 
Mttcaulfiit. r'niierii-tte 
7. Obvious to the senses; distinctly and easily 
perceptible. 
As both tin > i t ninth A penanee well deserude 
All in fine gold to him. the\r jniaue kerude, 
Kor <!'! recorde of theyr most woorthy fame*. 
i'"> i, lulin, t'al theniiides, ii. 
8. Free from anything that perturbs; undis- 
turbed by care or passion; unruffled; serene; 
calm. 
Tn whom the Son, with calm aspect and clear, 
Made answer. Milton, P. I.., v. 733. 
Till ev n the clear face of the guileless King . . . 
Became her bane. Tennyson, Guinevere. 
9. Free from guilt or blame ; morally unblem- 
i -I i ed; irreproachable; pure. 
I write to you this second epistle, in which I stir your 
rteor soul by monishing. Wyclif, 2 Pet. iii. 1. 
Duncan . . . hath been 
So clear in his great office. Shot., Macl>eth. i. 7. 
In honour clear. Pope, Epistle to Addison, 1. tiS. 
10. Free from something objectionable, espe- 
cially from entanglement or embarrassment ; 
free from accusation or imputation, distress, 
imprisonment, or the like : absolute or follow- 
ed by of or from. 
The cruel corporal whisper'd in my ear, 
Five pounds, if rightly tipt, would set me clear, day. 
No one could have started with a more resolute deter- 
mination to stand clear of party politics than Prince Al- 
bert. J. McCarthy, Hist. Own Times, vii. 
A house may be kept almost clear of fleas by frequent 
washing and sweeping. 
E. W. Lane, Modern Egyptians, I. 190. 
11. Free from impediment or obstruction; un- 
obstructed : as, a clear view. 
And make a clear way to the gods. Shak., T. of A., Hi. 4. 
My companion ... left the way clear to him. Addison. 
A clear field and no favor. Proverbial saying. 
12. Sounding distinctly; plainly audible; ca- 
norous : as, his voice was loud and clear. 
The robin warbled forth his full clear note 
For hours, and wearied not. 
Bryant, Old Man's Counsel. 
For like the clear voice when a trumpet shrills, . . . 
So rang the clear voice of .-Kakidcs. 
Tennyson, Achilles over the Trench. Q f Xo empty. 
clear 
He put hil month to her ear, and, under pretext of a 
whisper, hil it clrar olf. Sir It. I. Kutranyr. 
The iinihition of Ale\iiml'-r iliil not only ,lesi,o\ a ^ri-at 
pait nf the world, lint untile it put 01 
than it hud MM '< /'",/.,, U M I US. 
< 'am.- 
\ hitter wind, i-lfiit from the V.ith. 
thnr. 
Clear (kler). r. [< ME. rli-rrn = I), klnn-n = 
!.<:. tin-in, klnriii = Mllii. UHKII, t;. l.lur,,,. 
l-li'iri'ii = |)aii. l.liin = S\v. l.-lnm. clear, from the 
adj. ; cf. Sp. cln mi' lull-. I, fhirnir = I V- ''In run 
= It. ch in riirr. I'hiiii in . < L. I'linnn . <-lear, < rla- 
rii.v. clear: see </<,. .] I. truim. 1. To re- 
move whatever dlmiaiuM briglitni'HH, trans- 
parency, or purity of color from: us, t" </<// 
liquorx; to cli'iir a mirror; to i-lmr the :-ky. 
2. To make clear to the mind ; free from ob- 
scurity, perplexity, or ambiguity ; explain ; 
solve; prove: now generally followed b\ H/I, or 
by/row or o/before the thing removed: 11^ t" 
clear up a case ; to clear a theory from doubt ; 
to clear a statement of confusing details. 
Let a god descend, and clear the business to the audi- 
ence. /' ' " 
Hailing fully cleared their ungratfiilnese and Inipii 
deney. and Ivliig assured of the choice of a succewor that 
was to be expected within flue or six weekei, bee wu de- 
sirous to take the opportunity of thin Barke, and to viiit 
the Colony in Virginia. 
Quoted In L'apt. John Smith's True Travels, II. 104. 
To be sure, that matter was never rightly cleared up. 
Slirriilini. School for Scandal, I. 1. 
3. To free from obstructions ; free from any 
impediment or encumbrance, or from anything 
useless, noxious, or injurious : as, to clear the 
way ; to clear the table ; to clear the sea of pi- 
rates ; to clear land of trees ; to clear the voice. 
Addressing themselves to the work of clearing the land. 
Emerson, Hist. Discourse at Concord. 
4. To free from foreign or extraneous matter ; 
remove anything from that impairs purity or 
homogeneity. Specifically (n) In iml rani iin<i sheet- 
iron, to remove oxia from (the surface of the plates un- 
der treatment) by immersion In muriatic acid. (It) In 
calico-printing, to remove superfluous dye from (cloth). 
See clearinii, 1 (c). 
5. To remove (something that has ceased to 
be wanted, or is of the nature of an encum- 
brance, impediment, or obstruction) : with off, 
away, etc. : as, to clear off debts; to clear atray 
the debris. 
If, however, we cannot lay the foundation, it is some- 
thing to clear a tray the rubbish ; if we cannot set up truth, 
it is something to pull down error. 
Hacavtay, On West Reviewer's Def. of Mill. 
13. Without diminution or deduction; abso- 
lute ; net : as, clear profit or gain. 
lie through, what ere it coat, 
So much cleare gaine, or so much colne cleare lost. 
7*. Heywood, If you Know not Me, ii. 
I often wished that I had clear, 
Kor life, six hundred pounds a year. 
Swift. 
14. Without admixture, adulteration, or dilu- 
tion: as, a fabric of clear silk; clear brandy; 
clear tea. [U. 8.] 15. Free from defect or 
blemish: as, clear lumber. 16. Free from 
doubt ; mentally certain ; clearly convinced ; 
sure : as, I am perfectly clear on that point. 
I have heard of a thing they call Doomsday-book I am 
'["i- it has been a rental of back-ganging tenants. 
Scott, Kedgauntlet, Letter xl. 
17t. Sole; unaided; unaccompanied. 
It was that worth! William that wijes [men] so louen, 
A that hrougt gou out of bale with his cler strengthe. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2037. 
Clear days (preceded by some numeral, as three, five, 
nine, etc.), whole days, exclusive of that on which some 
proceeding is commenced or completed : as, he was allow- 
ed three clear aay in which to pay up. To boil clear. 
See boil'2. = Syn. Plain, Obviotts, etc. See manifest, a. 
II, . 1. In carp., arch., etc., unobstructed 
space ; space between two bodies in which no 
third body intervenes; unbroken or uninter- 
rupted surface : used only in the phrase in the 
clear : as, it measures fifty feet in the clear. 
2. That which is clarified ; clarified liquor or 
other matter. 3f. Light; clearness. 
In the north, distinguishing the hours, 
The loadstar of our course diapers 'd his clear. 
Greene and Lodge, Looking Glass for Lond. and Eng. 
clear (kler), adv. [< ME. clfre, < clere, a., clear. 
In 2d sense, cf. clean, </V.] 1. Clearly; plain- 
ly ; not obscurely ; manifestly. 
Now char I understand. Milton, P. L., xii. 37B. 
Sh' hath eyes (like Faith), but yet (alas !) those eyes 
See cleer by night, by day are blinde as Bats. 
Sylvester, tr. of l)u Bartas's Triumph of Faith, i. 19. 
2. Quite ; entirely; wholly; clean: as, to cut 
a piece clear off ; he climbed clear to the top. 
I am confident not a Man among us all did clear his 
Dish, for it rained so fast and such great drops into our 
rail a hashes, that after we had sup'd off as much Choco- 
late and Rain- Water, together as snttlscd us, our Calla- 
bashes were still above half full. 
Uampier, Voyages, II. ill. 86. 
7. To free j liberate or disengage ; rid : abso- 
lutely or with of at from : as, to clear one's self 
from debt or obligation. 
Twice in one houre A' a halfe the Britaine hoarded her, 
yet they cleared themselves. 
Cajrf. John Smith, True Travels, I. 6. 
Being thus tired with one another's company, ... we 
used all the means we could to cli-ar ourselves of one an- 
other. I;. Kimf (Arber's Eng. earner, I. 385). 
8. To justify or vindicate ; prove or declare to 
be innocent ; acquit. 
That will by no means clear the guilty. Ex. \ \\i v. 7. 
This earth, how false it is ! What means is left for me 
To clear myself ? It lies in your belief. 
Beau, and Fl., Philaster, v. 5. 
Ferd. Antonio, sir, has many amiable qualities. 
Jerome. But he is poor ; can you clear him of that, I say ? 
Sheridan, The Duenna, il. 3. 
0. To make gain or profit to the amount of, 
beyond all expenses and charges ; net. 
He clean but two hundreil thousand crowns a year. 
Additon. 
10. To leap clean over, or pass by without 
touching; get over or past : as, to clear a hedge 
or ditch ; to clear a rock at sea by a few yards. 
Ten feet of ground 
He clear'd, in his start, at the very first iMiund '. 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, I. 68. 
They had scarcely cleared the churchyard when a voice 
. . . called out to them to stop. 
Quoted in t'irtt Year of a Silten Reign, p. 101. 
1 1 . Naut. and com . , to free from legal detention, 
as imported goods or a ship, by paying duties 
or dues and procuring and giving the requisite 
documents : as, to clear a cargo ; to clear a ship 
at the custom-house. To clear a ship for action, 
or to clear for action, to remove all encumbrances from 
the decks, and prepare for an engagement. - To Clear the 
decks, see tleck. -To clear the land (<ti/M. to make 
such a distance from shore as to have open sea-room and 
