Clarifying

How to spell clarifying

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce clarifying

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does clarifying mean?

1. verbMaking something easier to understand by removing confusion or explaining it more clearly.
2. adjectiveServing to make something clearer, purer, or easier to understand.

Clarifying in a sentence

• verb

  Clarifying the instructions early saved the team hours of rework.

• adjective

  A clarifying shampoo strips away product buildup from the hair.

• verb

  She spent most of the meeting clarifying her position on the budget.

• adjective

  He asked one clarifying question before agreeing to the contract.

Where does clarifying come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective clarus, which meant 'clear', 'bright', or 'distinct', the same root that gives us 'clear' itself. Latin combined clarus with the verb facere ('to make') to form clarificare, literally 'to make clear or bright'. The word travelled into English through Old French clarifier during the 1300s, at first carrying the sense of making liquids pure and transparent, as in clarifying butter or wine. Over time the meaning broadened from physical clearness to mental clearness, so that one could clarify an idea or an argument as well as a liquid. The single r in the spelling reflects the single r of the Latin clarus, which is worth remembering since the doubled r is a common slip.

How the word is built

• clar- (from Latin clarus: clear, bright)
• -ify (to make)
• -ing (present participle/adjective suffix)