Etymologically
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clarify

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/, /ˈklæɹ.ə.faɪ/; /ˈklɛɹ.ɪ.faɪ/, /ˈklɛɹ.ə.faɪ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English clarifien, borrowed from Old French clarifier,[2][3][4] from Late Latin clārificō (“to make clear; to glorify”),[2][3] from clārificus (“brilliant”), from clārus (“clear”) (see clear) and the root of faciō (“to make”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To make illustrious or glorious, make known: before 1325 in Barnhart, the early 14th century in Etymonline, a sense now obsolete.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

To make clear and pure, especially of liquids such as liquors, is from the early 15th century (about 1430).[3][5] To light up or brighten is from 1398.[5] To clear the mind of error is from 1642,[5] and the figurative sense, to free a subject from obscurity, make intelligible, from 1823.[3][5] The New Oxford notes an early sense, to set forth clearly.[6] Clarification is from 1612.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1325 – to glorify.[2]
  • 1398 – to illumine.[5]
  • c. 1430 – to purify a liquid.[5]
  • 1612 – clarification.[2]
  • 1823 – to make intelligible.[3][5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To make clear or easier to understand; to elucidate.
  2. To remove confusion or uncertainty from.
  3. To make a liquid or butter clear by removing impurities, especially by heating.

Word family

  • clarification
  • clarifier

Usage notes

In Suffolk dialect to clarify meant to disinfect or purify, as after measles.[7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)