# Clean (adjective)



## ThomasK

How do you translate *'clean'*, the general adjective? Does it have a figurative meaning (often a 'moralizing' - e.g., religious - connotation)?  

 Dutch: *proper *(yes, also 'moral'), *net *(// ENG neat --- not so often), *schoon *(lit. 'beautiful' --- often 'moral').  But there is also the old word *'rein'*, which reminds of Jewish 'kosher'/ 'koosjer', Arabic/ Islamic 'halal'. 

 I don't know the Italian word, but I do remember *mani pulite*, clean hands, the name of an action against corruption, which might ...be translated as 'schone handen', 'propere handen', in Dutch - which are only metaphorical in context.


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## apmoy70

Hi TK,

In Greek:

Clean: *«Καθαρός, -ρή, ρό»* [kaθa'ros] (masc.), [kaθa'ri] (fem.), [kaθa'ro] (neut.) < Classical Gr. adj. *«καθαρός, -ὰ, -όν» kătʰārós (masc.), kătʰārà (fem.), kătʰārón (neut.)* --> _physically clean, spotless, pure, unmixed_ (with unknown etymology).
Metaphors:
*«Καθαρό μέτωπο»* [kaθa'ro 'metopo] (both neut. sing.) --> _clean forehead_ (in moral sense, a person free from guilt, undefiled)
*«Καθαρά λόγια»* [kaθa'ra 'loʝa] (both neut. pl.) --> _clear words_ (words that are said in plain and ordinary language, not in cipher or mumble)
*«Τη βγάζω καθαρή»* [ti 'vɣazo kaθa'ri] --> _to make it clean_ (to get away with it, get off scot-free)


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## bibax

Czech:

*čist/čistý* = clean, also uncorrupted, free from taint, ...;

*neposkvrněný* = a calque from Latin immaculate (*skvrna* = macula), unsullied;

akce *"čisté ruce"* = "Clean hands" action, an evergreen election theme;

*očistec* = purgatory;


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## ThomasK

apmoy70 said:


> In Greek:
> 
> Clean: *«Καθαρός, -ρή, ρό»* [kaθa'ros] (masc.), [kaθa'ri] (fem.), [kaθa'ro] (neut.) < Classical Gr. adj. *«καθαρός, -ὰ, -όν» kătʰārós (masc.), kătʰārà (fem.), kătʰārón (neut.)* --> _physically clean, spotless, pure, unmixed_ (with unknown etymology).


Which reminds me of (Aristotelian ?) _katharsis i_n theatre plays of course... Probably also the Kathars in the South of France in the Middle Ages... Thanks!

In the meantime I was reminded of the religious connotation of the Dutch* 'rein'*, strictly speaking 'clean', but now mainly according to religious laws, just like 'kosher', 'halal', which seem to mean 'lawful' basically, not simply clean.

While doing some research on the internet, I noticed that the 'Mr Proper' [French] cleaning product in mostly translated, which results in : 


> *Don Limpio*, in Spain (originally launched and sold for years as 'Mister Proper')
> *Maestro Limpio*, in Mexico and Puerto Rico
> *Mastro Lindo*, in Italy and Malta
> *Meister Proper*, in Germany (originally; labeled now as *Mr. Proper*)
> *Meneer Proper*, in Belgium (Flanders) [...]
> *Pan Proper*, in Poland
> *Mister Proper*, in Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and Middle east
> *Monsieur Net*, in Quebec and French Canada
> *Monsieur Propre*, in France
> *Romuald Diego*, in Philippines


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## ThomasK

The list above is not complete,and especially: I always wonder whether words can be used metaphorically. 

I tried to find some basic words in other languages, but can they be used metaphorically - or do you need others for that: 

- *чистый*, which will be like Czech, I suppose, but I cannot transliterate well (/cist.../ ?)
- *temiz *in Turkish ? 
- طاهر من وجهة النظر in Arabic (something like /kliner/?)?


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## origumi

Every language must have the concept of clean, usually with several synonyms, usually with metaphorical meanings, usually participating in expressions and idioms.

In Hebrew it can be נקי, טהור, צח, זך, צלול, צרוף, בר, תם and apparently some more for specific contexts.


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## ThomasK

Quite right. But could you give us the main word, the most general word, and transliterate it? (_I thought it would have been _kosher_, but I was mistakenly thinking that moral rules would be referring to cleanliness, but that is an overgeneralisation, so I noticed.)_


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## Maroseika

ThomasK said:


> T
> I tried to find some basic words in other languages, but can they be used metaphorically - or do you need others for that:
> 
> - *чистый*, which will be like Czech, I suppose, but I cannot transliterate well (/cist.../ ?)



Russian чистый can be used in quite different meanings - from its literal substantial sense to quite metaphorical:

чистое золото - pure gold (without admixtures)
чистый воздух - clear air
чистый спирт - neat alcohol

чистая страница - blank page
чистое поле - open country
чистая прибыль - net profit
чистое время - actual time (e.g. racing time exluding stops)

чистые помыслы - heavenly thoughts
чистая совесть - clear conscience

чистый вымысел - pure (mere) fiction
чистое совпадение - mere coincidence
чистая правда - simple truth
чистое безумие - sheer madness
чистое попадание - sure hit
чистый эксперимент - pristine experiment
Чистый Четверг - the Great Thursday


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## learnerr

Maroseika said:


> чистое поле - open country


A note to readers: this is not in the political sense. It is an "open field", with no forests or buildings; the meaning is not that it is a place where tanks or troops can freely manoeuvre (in this sense the expression is never used), but that it is a place where you see clearly in a long distance and are likely not to meet any people. The expression is a little bit ancient.


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## ThomasK

What an impressive list, Maroseika. But how do you pronounce/transliterate the root? 

 I suppose this use of 'clean' refers mainly to some kind of purity, doesn't it? I did the test and added Dutch translations to your list: 



Maroseika said:


> Russian чистый can be used in quite different meanings - from its literal substantial sense to quite metaphorical:
> 
> чистое золото - pure gold (without admixtures) -puur goud
> чистый воздух - clear air- zuivere lucht
> чистый спирт - neat alcohol - zuivere alcohol
> 
> чистая страница - blank page - leeg (empty)
> чистое поле - open country - open
> чистая прибыль - net profit - zuivere winst
> чистое время - actual time (e.g. racing time exluding stops) - ...
> 
> чистые помыслы - heavenly thoughts - zuivere (I had first thought of _schone_/beautiful but also clean)
> чистая совесть - clear conscience - zuiver
> 
> чистый вымысел - pure (mere) fiction - louter
> чистое совпадение - mere coincidence - louter
> чистая правда - simple truth -zuivere, eenvoudige (simple)
> чистое безумие - sheer madness - louter ...
> чистое попадание - sure hit - zekere
> чистый эксперимент - pristine experiment
> Чистый Четверг - the Great Thursday  -  witte (white)



 You will see that we use three or four words here, but _zuiver, puur, louter _have a very similar meaning...


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## learnerr

ThomasK said:


> чистые помыслы - heavenly thoughts - ... maybe schone/beautiful ...


I don't think so. It means that the good thoughts (in the sense "intentions") are not affected by false (that is, evil and/or convoluted) aspirations. Thoughts can be beautiful and yet not free/"pure" from, let's say, devils' suggestions.


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## ThomasK

Of course, you're right: _zuivere gedachten_! [I'll change it in the list]--- But I am still not sure how one pronounces the root... 

I am still intrigued by this resemblance between 'pure' and 'clean'. Of course the link is clear (and in German _sauber _is clean), but in my mind I don't spontaneously associate cleanliness with purity; those seem different concepts, though of course somehow linked. BTW: 'pure' in German is not _sauber_, but _pur_, _rein_)


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## ahmedcowon

In Arabic, there are two words that are usedinterchangeably:

*نظيف /naTHeef/* ("TH" is emphatic "th" in "think")
*طاهر /Taaher/* ("T" is emphatic "t")

The word طاهر is mostly used to mean "sinless" while the word نظيف is mostly used to mean "free from dirt or pollution"


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## ThomasK

I see. Do they have the same root? (I'd think not, but...) Could then 'sinless' be a metaphorical interpretation/ variant of 'free from dirt or pollution'? Do you have a different word for 'pure'?


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## origumi

ThomasK said:


> Quite right. But could you give us the main word, the most general word, and transliterate it? (_I thought it would have been _kosher_, but I was mistakenly thinking that moral rules would be referring to cleanliness, but that is an overgeneralisation, so I noticed.)_


The main word is naqi נקי of root n-q-y. It means _clean_ in the simple sense, and has a variety of other meanings such as _honest_, _has no money_ ("clean of money"), one who _stopped using drugs_ ("clean of drugs"), _to rob_ ("clean someone of his property"), _pure_, and so on.

Ko_sher _(or in modern pronunciation _kasher_) is indeed an alternative, mainly for food or as the antonym of _illegal_, _illicit_.


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## ahmedcowon

ThomasK said:


> Do they have the same root?
> No, they are from two different roots but have the same meaning
> 
> Could then 'sinless' be a metaphorical interpretation/ variant of 'free from dirt or pollution'?
> Yes, the two words are interchangeable, you can use any of them to mean "clean", I just wanted to say that
> 
> Do you have a different word for 'pure'?
> pure = نقي /naqiy/
> net = صافي /Saafi/


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## ancalimon

Turkish:

temiz : clean
arı: clean, sinless, pure, purified  (this word is no longer colloquial and can be considered archaic by some)
ak: clean, white
saf: pure, honest - naive


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## ThomasK

@Origumi: those meanings seem quite broad then. Does that mean you don't have any other words meaning 'clean' (and 'neat', 'mere').Thanks. 

@Ahmed: so both Arabic words can be in both ways... I see. Do you use it in as many different senses as Hebrew, as Russian?_ (Especially the number of variants in Russian seemed quite amazing to me...)_


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## learnerr

ThomasK said:


> _ (Especially the number of variants in Russian seemed quite amazing to me...)_


I am sure it is only because Maroseika was so attentive to intricacies of speech and so willing to help. No doubt, any other languages are no less variative in this regard!


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## ahmedcowon

Some examples of using them metaphorically in Arabic:

أيادي نظيفة - clean hands
بداية نظيفة - clean start
أهداف نظيفة - clean goals (when only one team scores and the final result is X-0)
شباك نظيفة - clean sheet
سينما نظيفة - clean cinema (movies without any sexual scenes)
طاقة نظيفة - clean energy
قلب طاهر - clean heart

هواء نقي - pure air
ذهب خالص - pure gold (without admixtures)
توحيد خالص - pure monotheism

راتب صافي - net salary
ربح صافي - net profit
ذهن صافي - clear mind
طقس صافي - clear weather


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## Maroseika

ThomasK said:


> What an impressive list, Maroseika. But how do you pronounce/transliterate the root?


The root is чист- [chist], cognate of Latin _scindō_, Greek _σχίζω _and Ancient Indian _chinátti  _- to split, cleave,  Ancient Iceland _skítа _- faeces and English _shit_; from PIE *skheid- split, divide, separate.

Чистый - [chistiy] - masc.
Чистая - [chistaya] - fem.
Чистое - [chistoye] - neutr.



> I suppose this use of 'clean' refers mainly to some kind of purity, doesn't it?


Sure. I'd say - to all kinds of purity.


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## ThomasK

Again a huge number of combinations, requiring various 'near-synonyms' in English (even 'clear' this time)... Interesting.


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## Outsider

ThomasK said:


> How do you translate *'clean'*, the general adjective?


In Portuguese, *limpo*. 



ThomasK said:


> Does it have a figurative meaning (often a 'moralizing' - e.g., religious - connotation)?


It can be used in a moral sense, but for the religious sense of clean/unclean we rather use "pure/impure"*.*



ThomasK said:


> Dutch: *proper *(yes, also 'moral').


Hmm, I don't think we use *limpo* quite that way. We would rather say "correct".



ThomasK said:


> *net *(// ENG neat --- not so often).


*Limpo* can mean neat, but there are more specific words for "tidy".



ThomasK said:


> *schoon *(lit. 'beautiful' --- often 'moral').  But there is also the old word *'rein'*, which reminds of Jewish 'kosher'/ 'koosjer', Arabic/ Islamic 'halal'.


Not those.



ThomasK said:


> I don't know the Italian word, but I do remember *mani pulite*, clean hands, the name of an action against corruption, which might ...be translated as 'schone handen', 'propere handen', in Dutch - which are only metaphorical in context.


We have the same expression, *mãos limpas*. As a side note, the Portuguese cognate *polido* means "polished" or "polite".


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## ThomasK

Very interesting link: _polido_, _polite_, and the reference to polishing. Indeed, we also say _nette manieren _(clean manners)!


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## Maroseika

ThomasK said:


> Very interesting link: _polido_, _polite_, and the reference to polishing.


About polishing: in Russian чистовая обработка (clean treatment) - wiping, finishing (e.g. in metal working).

One more meaning in Russian: Пречистая Дева - the Most-Pure Virgin.


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## learnerr

Maroseika said:


> About polishing: in Russian чистовая обработка (clean treatment) - wiping, finishing (e.g. in metal working).


I would not say "чистовая" means "clean". In this case, it refers to cleanness as a quality: literally, we get "cleanness process". Not to mention that "чистовой вариант" refers to the final ("polished", "made in cleanness") variant of a written work...


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## Maroseika

learnerr said:


> I would not say "чистовая" means "clean". In this case, it refers to cleanness as a quality: literally, we get "cleanness process". Not to mention that "чистовой вариант" refers to the final ("polished", "made in cleanness") variant of a written work...



I meant literal translation. Maybe "cleannesy" would match better, but I prefered an excisting word. As far as i know, чистовой is usually translated as clean (or fair in the sense of fair copy - чистовая копия).


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## SuperXW

Generally, "clean" translates as 干净 in Chinese. 
When talking about the moralizing connotation, i.e. someone's heart is clean, or the behavior, background is clean, people rather use another word: 清白.
清白 literally means "clean and white", but today it's only used to describe the moral aspects.


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## ThomasK

SuperXW said:


> Generally, "clean" translates as 干净 in Chinese.
> When talking about the moralizing connotation, i.e. someone's heart is clean, or the behavior, background is clean, people rather use another word: 清白.
> 清白 literally means "clean and white", but today it's only used to describe the moral aspects.


Interesting association/connotation: `white` is often associated with `good` (_blanchir l’argent, geld witwassen _[whitewash] in Dutch.I thought of _blank _and _blanco  _(free of dirt, free of .../ empty).


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## arielipi

Hebrew:
religious clean - זך zach
clean clear צח tzakh
clean נקי naki


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## ThomasK

Could you give us some more illustrations of where you use the three, Arielipi? Thanks in advance!


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## arielipi

simple chicken soup can sometimes be called a clear soup מרק צח marak tzakh.
זך כלבנה zach kalevanah clean as the moon
השולחן נקי hashulkhan naki the table is clean
ללא רבב lelo revav with no dirt/stain
ללא דופי lelo dofi with no stains (on personality)
theyre pretty much interchangeable though you would use each for its own category as i said above.


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## ThomasK

Thanks.  Interesting to see that you consider 'clear' and 'clean' semantically linked. The link is not far-fetched, but starting from Dutch, I would not have seen it... It happens more often that the word use in different languages reveals or lays bare certain links that one perceives when thinking about [the  roots of] words...   _(I may be formulating this both awkwardly and incorrectly... Feel free to correct... Should anyone what I am - awkwardly - hinting at, don't hesitate and send me a PM, or point it out here)_


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## arielipi

Translations for clear/clean:
ט - ה - ר  t - h - r          (religiously) to purify, to make something pure
פ - נ - י\ה p/ph - n - h/y  to clear the area, garbage
ר - ק - נ   r - q - n          to clear garbage, to empty
נ - ק - ה   n - q - h         to clear/clean
ב - ה - ר   b/v - h - r       became clear
ז - כ - ה\י  z - ch/ck - h/y to purify, to clear

that is the list.


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## ThomasK

Great information, thanks a lot. But now there are 5 or 6 roots, I guess...


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## ThomasK

ThomasK said:


> You will see that we use three or four words here, but *zuiver, puur, louter *have a very similar meaning...



Right now I realize that none of those refers to the simple quality of being clean now. Two of them refer to purity (which is not the same, or so I think), the state of not being mixed with other things, and the other one refers to some kind of refinement: taking away 'dirty' stuff until only[l_outer_] the good stuff remains. But etymologically 
- 'louter' does refer to 'clean'
- 'zuiver' refers to Lat. _sobrius _[not drunk, in control of one's thoughts and feelings,...]
- 'puur' refers to Lat. _purus _meaning something like being clean, clear, unmixed, chaste (etymonline.com)


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