* * *

CLEANSE.

Synonyms:

brush, dust, purify, scour, sponge, wash,
clean, lave, rinse, scrub, sweep, wipe.
disinfect, mop,

To _clean_ is to make clean by removing dirt, impurities, or soil of any
kind. _Cleanse_ implies a worse condition to start from, and more to do,
than _clean_. Hercules _cleansed_ the Augean stables. _Cleanse_ is
especially applied to purifying processes where liquid is used, as in
the flushing of a street, etc. We _brush_ clothing if dusty, _sponge_
it, or _sponge_ it off, if soiled; or _sponge_ off a spot. Furniture,
books, etc., are _dusted_; floors are _mopped_ or _scrubbed_; metallic
utensils are _scoured_; a room is _swept_; soiled garments are _washed_;
foul air or water is _purified_. _Cleanse_ and _purify_ are used
extensively in a moral sense; _wash_ in that sense is archaic. Compare
AMEND.

Antonyms:

befoul, bespatter, debase, deprave, soil, stain, taint,
besmear, contaminate, defile, pollute, spoil, sully, vitiate.
besmirch, corrupt,

Prepositions:

Cleanse _of_ or _from_ physical or moral defilement; cleanse _with_ an
instrument; _by_ an agent; the room was cleansed _by_ the attendants
_with_ soap and water.

* * * * *

CLEAR.

Synonyms:

apparent, intelligible, pellucid, transparent,
diaphanous, limpid, perspicuous, unadorned,
distinct, lucid, plain, unambiguous,
evident, manifest, straightforward, unequivocal,
explicit, obvious, translucent, unmistakable.

_Clear_ (L. _clarus_, bright, brilliant) primarily refers to that which
shines, and impresses the mind through the eye with a sense of luster
or splendor. A substance is said to be _clear_ that offers no impediment
to vision--is not dim, dark, or obscure. _Transparent_ refers to the
medium through which a substance is seen, _clear_ to the substance
itself, without reference to anything to be seen through it; we speak of
a stream as _clear_ when we think of the water itself; we speak of it as
_transparent_ with reference to the ease with which we see the pebbles
at the bottom. _Clear_ is also said of that which comes to the senses
without dimness, dulness, obstruction, or obscurity, so that there is no
uncertainty as to its exact form, character, or meaning, with something
of the brightness or brilliancy implied in the primary meaning