different between clean vs elegant

English

Etymology

From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English cl?ne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-Germanic *klainiz (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), from Proto-Indo-European *gl?y- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kli?n/, [k?l?i?n]
• (General American) enPR: kl?n, IPA^(key): /klin/, [k?l??n]
• ((Ireland), dated), enPR: kl?n, IPA^(key): /kle?n/, [k?l?e?n]
• Rhymes: -i?n

Adjective

clean (comparative cleaner, superlative cleanest)

1. (heading, physical) Free of dirt or impurities or protruberances.
   1. Not dirty.

      • Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. ¶ There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

   2. In an unmarked condition.

   3. (aerodynamics) Allowing an uninterrupted flow over surfaces, without protrusions such as racks or landing gear.
   4. Empty.

   5. (of metal) Having relatively few impurities.

2. (heading, behavioural) Free of immorality or criminality.
   1. Pure, especially morally or religiously.
      • ?, Alfred Tennyson, St. Simeon Stylites

        That I am whole, and clean, and meet for Heaven.

      • 1914, New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (volume 168, page 195)

        I do not think there is any member in this House who will not agree that that is the clean thing to do. Any member sitting on the Government benches will admit in private that that is the proper course for members who break faith.

   2. Not having used drugs or alcohol.

   3. (of criminal, driving, etc. records) Without restrictions or penalties, or someone having such a record.

   4. (informal) Not in possession of weapons or contraband such as drugs.

   5. (informal) Devoid of profanity.
3. smooth, exact, and performed well

4. (obsolete) Total; utter. (still in "clean sweep")
   • a. 1655, James Howell, "To the Right Honourable the Earl of Clare" in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ

     Moreover, I find there are some Words now in French which are turned to a Countersense […] Cocu is taken for one whose Wife is light, and hath made him a passive Cuckold; whereas clean contrary, Cocu, which is the Cuckow, doth use to lay her Eggs in another Bird's Nest.

5. (informal) Cool or neat.

6. (health) Being free of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

7. That does not damage the environment.

8. Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects.

9. Free from restraint or neglect; complete; entire.

   • When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of corners of thy field.

10. Well-proportioned; shapely.

11. (climbing, of a route) Ascended without falling.

Synonyms

• (not dirty): Thesaurus:clean

Antonyms

• dirty
• unclean

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

clean (plural cleans)

1. Removal of dirt.

2. (weightlifting) The first part of the event clean and jerk in which the weight is brought from the ground to the shoulders.

Derived terms

• power clean

Translations

Verb

clean (third-person singular simple present cleans, present participle cleaning, simple past and past participle cleaned)

1. (transitive) To remove dirt from a place or object.

2. (transitive) To tidy up, make a place neat.

3. (transitive, climbing) To remove equipment from a climbing route after it was previously lead climbed.
4. (intransitive) To make things clean in general.

5. (transitive, computing) To remove unnecessary files, etc. from (a directory, etc.).
6. (intransitive, curling) To brush the ice lightly in front of a moving rock to remove any debris and ensure a correct line; less vigorous than a sweep.
7. (manga fandom slang) To purge a raw of any blemishes caused by the scanning process such as brown tinting and poor color contrast.
8. To remove guts and/or scales of a butchered animal.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:make clean

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

clean (comparative cleaner, superlative cleanest)

1. Fully and completely.

Translations

Anagrams

• Calne, Lance, Lenca, ancle, clane, lance

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English clean.

Adjective

clean (neuter clean, plural and definite singular attributive clean)

1. drugfree, not having used recreational drugs

German

Etymology

From English clean. Doublet of klein.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kli?n]

Adjective

clean (comparative cleaner, superlative am cleansten)

1. (colloquial) clean, drugfree

Declension

Further reading

• “clean” in Duden online

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish clíabán.

Noun

clean m (genitive singular clean, plural cleanyn)

1. cradle (oscillating bed for a baby)

2. cot
3. cage (of birds)
4. pannier

Mutation

Romanian

Etymology

From Bulgarian ????? (kljan), from Proto-Slavic *klen?.

Noun

clean m (plural cleni)

1. chub (Squalius cephalus)

Declension

English

Etymology

From Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin elegans.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l.?.??nt/

Adjective

elegant (comparative more elegant, superlative most elegant)

1. Characterised by or exhibiting elegance.
2. Characterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.

   an elegant solution

3. (Ireland, colloquial, archaic) Fine; doing well.

Synonyms

• (exhibiting elegance): classy, graceful

Antonyms

• clumsy
• haphazard
• inelegant

Derived terms

• elegance

Related terms

• elect
• eligible
• elite

Translations

Anagrams

• angelet

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin ?leg?ns.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

elegant (masculine and feminine plural elegants)

1. elegant

   Antonym: inelegant

Derived terms

• elegantment

Related terms

• elegància
• inelegant

Further reading

• “elegant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “elegant” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “elegant” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “elegant” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from French élégant, from Latin ?leg?ns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el??ant/, [el????an?d?]

Adjective

elegant

1. elegant, smart
2. elegant, neat
3. (adverbial) elegantly, smartly, neatly

Inflection

Derived terms

• uelegant

References

• “elegant” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French elegant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?l????nt/
• Hyphenation: ele?gant
• Rhymes: -?nt

Adjective

elegant (comparative eleganter, superlative elegantst)

1. elegant

Inflection

Synonyms

• sierlijk
• gracieus

Antonyms

• lomp
• plomp

Derived terms

• elegantie

Anagrams

• gelaten

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French elegant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ele??ant/, /el???ant/
• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

elegant (comparative eleganter, superlative am elegantesten)

1. elegant

Declension

Further reading

• “elegant” in Duden online

Middle French

Adjective

elegant m (feminine singular elegante, masculine plural elegants, feminine plural elegantes)

1. elegant

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Adjective

elegant (neuter singular elegant, definite singular and plural elegante)

1. elegant

Related terms

• eleganse

References

• “elegant” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Adjective

elegant (neuter singular elegant, definite singular and plural elegante)

1. elegant

Related terms

• eleganse

References

• “elegant” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From French élégant, from Latin ?leg?ns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?.?ant/

Noun

elegant m pers (diminutive elegancik, feminine elegantka)

1. elegant man

Declension

Further reading

• elegant in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• elegant in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

From French élégant, from Latin elegans.

Adjective

elegant m or n (feminine singular elegant?, masculine plural elegan?i, feminine and neuter plural elegante)

1. tasteful

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l???ant/

Adjective

elegant (comparative elegantare, superlative elegantast)

1. elegant

Declension

See also

• elegans c (noun)

References

• elegant in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• elegant in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• legaten