Clarified

How to spell clarified

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce clarified

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does clarified mean?

1. verbMade something easier to understand by giving fuller or plainer detail.
2. adjectiveMade clear or pure by removing solids, sediment, or impurities, as with butter or stock.

Clarified in a sentence

• verb

  The manager clarified the new expenses policy during the staff meeting.

• adjective

  The recipe calls for two tablespoons of clarified butter to keep the sauce smooth.

• verb

  After several questions, the lawyer clarified exactly what the contract required.

• adjective

  The chef cooked the spices gently in clarified butter before adding the rice.

Where does clarified come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective clarus, which meant 'clear, bright, or shining', and could describe both a vivid light and a famous, distinguished reputation. Latin combined it with the verb-forming element facere ('to make') to produce clarificare, literally 'to make clear', and the same root gives us 'clear', 'clarity', and 'declare'. The verb passed into Old French as clarifier and entered English in the 1300s, at first carrying religious overtones of making something glorious or pure before settling into the everyday meaning of explaining or purifying. The form 'clarified' is simply the past tense, where the final 'y' of clarify turns into 'i' before the '-ed' ending. Because the stressed first syllable hides an unstressed schwa in the middle, writers sometimes hesitate over the vowel before the 'f', though the link to 'clear' is a reliable anchor.

How the word is built

• clar- (from Latin clarus: clear, bright)
• -ify (to make)
• -ed (past tense suffix)