cleaner

A2 Topic:Work & Careers

US /ˈkli.nɚ/ UK /ˈkliː.nə/ See IPA manual

Freq #5713

Meanings

1

noun
A person whose job is to clean rooms, floors, or buildings.

The cleaner comes to our office every evening.
2

noun
A substance or device used for cleaning things.

She bought a new bottle of window cleaner.
3

noun
A business that washes or dry-cleans clothes.

I'll have to take this shirt to the cleaner.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a substance or device used... cleaning agent

3 noun · a business that washes or... dry cleaner

Word family

Forms cleaners

Derived forms cleaner-uppercleaner-upperercleaneresshousecleanerstreetcleanerway-cleaner

Related forms cleanser

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

bathroom cleaner
a product used to remove dirt from bathroom surfaces

Noun + noun

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English clener, clenner, clanner, clannere, from Old English clǣnra, clǣnre (“cleaner, purer, clearer”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainiʀō (“daintier, more delicate”), from Proto-Germanic *klainizô (“shinier, finer, more splendid”), equivalent to clean + -er.

clener Middle English clǣnra Old English *klainiʀō Proto-West Germanic *klainizô Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Work & Careers

External links

# cleaner

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkli.nɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkliː.nə/
**Frequency rank:** 5713

## Meanings
1. A person whose job is to clean rooms, floors, or buildings.
2. A substance or device used for cleaning things.
3. A business that washes or dry-cleans clothes.

## Examples
- The cleaner comes to our office every evening.
- She bought a new bottle of window cleaner.
- I'll have to take this shirt to the cleaner.

## Derived Forms
- cleaner-upper
- cleaner-upperer
- cleaneress
- housecleaner
- streetcleaner
- way-cleaner

## Related Forms
- cleanser

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: clener
- Root: clǣnra
- Root: *klainiʀō
- Root: *klainizô

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English clener, clenner, clanner, clannere, from Old English clǣnra, clǣnre (“cleaner, purer, clearer”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainiʀō (“daintier, more delicate”), from Proto-Germanic *klainizô (“shinier, finer, more splendid”), equivalent to clean + -er.

## AI Etymology
cleaner is a noun and adjective. It was inherited from Middle English clener, clenner, clanner, clannere, from Old English clǣnra, clǣnre (“cleaner, purer, clearer”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainiʀō (“daintier, more delicate”), from Proto-Germanic *klainizô (“shinier, finer, more splendid”), equivalent to clean + -er. Historical forms in the chain include clener (Middle English), clǣnra (Old English), *klainiʀō (Proto-West Germanic), and *klainizô (Proto-Germanic). Current senses include a person whose job is to clean rooms, floors, or buildings, a substance or device used for cleaning things, and a business that washes or dry-cleans clothes. Derived forms include cleaner-upper, cleaner-upperer, cleaneress, housecleaner, and streetcleaner. Related words include cleanser.

## Topics
- Work & Careers

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