English → Latin
“clean” in Latin
scīlicetof course, naturally, namely, to wit, evidently, certainly, undoubtedly, no doubt, doubtless, truly; that is to saycubiculumsmall bedroom; bedchamberaedēsaedesviaroad, street, path; highway; way, method, manner, modepūrusclear, limpid; clean; puremundusclean, pure; neat; nice, fine, elegant, sophisticated; decorated, adornedintegercomplete, whole, intact, uninjured, sound, healthycastusmorally pure, guiltless, spotless; especially in regard to sexual morality: pure, chaste, unpolluted, virtuous, continenimpollūtusunstained, unpollutedtempluman open space for augural observation; open, clear, broad space; a space dedicated to a deity; place of divine worship;
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
clean v.
[vid CLEANSE][vid CLEANSE]. To clean a room, verrere pavimentum (scilicet, cubiculi, Juv.): a house, aedes (Plaut.): the streets, vias (Suet.).
To clean anybody out (= take from him all he has), everrere et extergere omnia (Vid: “sweep clean” under CLEAN, adj).
clean
free from stains, etc., purus (without any spot or blemish): mundus (only of solid surfaces, which are free from dirt or stains). (The words are found in this connection and order), mundus purusque. Clean vessels, vasa pura: clean linen, *lintea pura: a clean piece of paper, charta pura: to wash clean, pure lavare. “To keep clean” (Vid. CLEAN, v., CLEANSE]. To keep things clean (i. e., habitually), munditiae studere, munditiam adhibere (Vid: Cic., Off., 1, 36, 130). To sweep clean (= plunder anything so as to leave nothing for another), everrere et extergere (e.g., templa. Cic., Verr., 2, 21. 52). FIG., to have clean hands (= not to have stolen anything), manus abstinere alieno; ab alieno abstinere cupiditatem aut manus. OBSERVE: aqua pura is not clean, but unmixed water.
Free from moral impurity, purus; integer. (The words are found in this connection and order), purus et integer: castus. (The words are found in this connection and order), purus et castus: castus purusque (chaste, both of body and mind): impollutus: incontam inatus.
clean adv.
(quite, altogether)(quite, altogether), prorsus, plane; funditus (from the foundation): totus (e.g., he is clean altered, totus commutatus est). Numantia was clean destroyed, Numantia funditus deleta est.
Sometimes expressed by a compound word, or by some other turn of expression; e.g., to empty the bottle clean, lagenam exsiccare: a jug, potare faece tenus cadum. To leap clean over anything, transilire aliquid or trans aliquid.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for clean?
- The usual Latin words for “clean” are scīlicet, cubiculum, aedēs; also via, pūrus, mundus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.