cleanness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈkliːn.nəs/ (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Old English clǣnnes, corresponding to clean + -ness.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) Moral purity; innocence.
Certes sayd the good man that is sothe / for he shalle be the best knyghte of the world and the fairest of alle the felauship / But wete yow wel there shall none atteyne it but by clennes that is pure confession
1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “vj”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XVI:
-
(uncountable, usually) The state of being physically clean and free of contamination or dirt; cleanliness.
"But if so, why do you see so many young children on steam trains - apart, that is, from being dragged along by their fathers, or grandfathers? "I think they enjoy them because they are simply so different, so mechanical, so hot, oily and clanky, so dirty, so 'analogue' in a digital world. They are everything modern life tries to extirpate in favour of silence, smoothness and cleanness. Kids love that.
2022 February 23, Benedict le Vay, “Part of rail's past... present... and future”, in RAIL, number 951, page 56:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cleannesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
cleanness · innocence · unguilt · inculpability · blamelessness · innocency · guiltlessness · guiltlessness
Translations (30)
de Reinlichkeit (state of being clean) · br naetadurezh (state of being clean) · uk чи́стість (state of being clean) · ga glaine (moral purity) · lv tīrība (state of being clean) · fr propreté (state of being clean) · ar نَظَافَة (state of being clean) · ga glaine (state of being clean) · cs čistost (state of being clean) · ru чистота́ (state of being clean) · pdt Reinheit (state of being clean) · hi सफ़ाई (state of being clean) · be чыстата́ (state of being clean) · uk чистота́ (state of being clean) · fi puhtaus (state of being clean) · pl czystota (state of being clean) · ca netedat (state of being clean) · pl czystość (state of being clean) · cs čistota (state of being clean) · nb reinhet (state of being clean) · es limpieza (state of being clean) · mk чистота (state of being clean) · fi puhtaus (moral purity) · nb renhet (state of being clean) · be чы́стасць (state of being clean) · ga glaineacht (state of being clean) · de Sauberkeit (state of being clean) · bg чистота́ (state of being clean) · be чысціня́ (state of being clean) · fi viattomuus (moral purity)