Clarify

How to spell clarify

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce clarify

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does clarify mean?

1. verbTo make a statement, idea, or situation easier to understand by giving more detail or removing confusion.

Clarify in a sentence

• Please clarify the deadline before we send the proposal.

• The manager wrote a short note to clarify the new expense policy.

Where does clarify come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective clarus, which meant 'clear', 'bright', or 'shining', and by extension 'famous' or 'distinguished'. From clarus, later Latin built the verb clarificare, meaning 'to make clear' or 'to glorify', combining clarus with the verb-forming element facere 'to make'. The word travelled into English through Old French clarifier during the 1300s, when it often referred quite literally to making a liquid clear by removing impurities, as in clarifying wine or butter. Over time the figurative sense, making an idea or statement easier to understand, became dominant. The same clarus root brightens a family of relatives, including 'clear' itself, 'declare', and 'clarity', and the -ify ending is the steady clue to its spelling, the same one found in simplify and verify.

How the word is built

• clar- (from Latin clarus: clear, bright)
• -ify (to make or cause to become)