Etymology
1. O.E.
clæne "clean, pure," from W.Gmc.
*klainoz "clear, pure," from PIE base
*gel- "to gleam" (cf. Gk.
glene "eyeball," O.Ir.
gel "bright"). As an adj., replaced in higher senses by
clear, pure, but as a verb (c.1450) it has largely usurped what once belonged to
cleanse (from O.E.
clænsian), which, despite its modern spelling (16c.) retains its M.E. pronunciation.
Clean in the sense of "innocent" is from c.1300; that of "not lewd" is from 1867; that of "free of drug addiction" is 1950s.
Clean up "make a large profit" is from 1929. To
take (someone) to the cleaners "get all of (someone's) money" is from 1932.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-West Germanic *klainī
4. Old English clǣne
5. Middle English clene
6. English clean
7. 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, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”). See: Low Saxon 'kleen'.
Verbs referencing "clean"
Sranan
krin, Tok Pisin klinim.