English
clear
Clear comes from Middle English clere, from Anglo-Norman cler, from Latin clarus, from PIE *kelh₁- ‘to call’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-1‘to call’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclarus2‘clear’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cler2‘bright’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400cler2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500clere2
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1610–1611clear2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin clarus
- 2 Wiktionary, English clear
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Winters Tale: “with a countenance as clear / As friendship wears…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-Wiktionary, Latin clarus‘to call’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclarusWiktionary, English clear‘clear’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400clerWiktionary, English clear‘bright’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400clerWiktionary, English clear
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500clereWiktionary, English clear
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1610–1611clearWiktionary, English clear. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Winters Tale: “with a countenance as clear / As friendship wears…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to call, shout’
low, hell, claim, classic, haul, calendar, reconciliation, reconcile, proclamation, classify, 46 more
through Latin clarus ‘clear, bright’
declare, clarity, clarification, 14 more
through Old French cler ‘bright, well-lit, not dark’
Today it means
adj Transparent in colour.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “clear”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin clarus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- / clear