clean

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Free from dirt, marks, or stains.

   Please put on a clean shirt.

2. 2
   verb

   To remove dirt or mess from something.

   I clean my house every week.

3. 3
   adj

   Done well and without mistakes or problems.

   The pilot made a clean landing.

4. 4
   adj

   No longer taking illegal drugs.

   After years of addiction, he has been clean for four years.

Common collocations

• clean clothes Adjective + noun
• clean water Adjective + noun
• clean a room Verb + noun
• clean the floor Verb + noun
• clean the kitchen Verb + noun
• clean air Adjective + noun
• clean a window Verb + noun
• a clean shot Adjective + noun
• clean kill Adjective + noun
• clean up a mess Verb + noun

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, f…

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