Etymology

clearness

C3L1E1A1R1N1E1S1S1

Today it means: Brightness, brilliancy. Full definition →

First used 14th–17th c.Middle English clernesse
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromclernesse
  2. English todayclearness

From Middle English clernesse; equivalent to clear + -ness.

First known use, by meaning

  • 14th–17th c. Brightness, brilliancy.
  • from 16th c. Mental or sensory distinctness; clarity of understanding, perception etc.
  • from 17th c. The state of being free from obscurities or opacity; distinctness of light, colour etc.
  • from 17th c. The state of being free from obstruction or interference.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.