Clearing

How to spell clearing

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce clearing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does clearing mean?

1. nounAn open space within a wood or forest where trees have been removed or never grew.
2. nounThe process by which banks settle payments, cheques and transfers between one another.
3. nounThe system used to match applicants to unfilled university course places after exam results are released.

Clearing in a sentence

• The hikers pitched their tent in a grassy clearing beside the stream.

• The payment sat in clearing for two working days before the funds appeared.

• She found her place on the law course through clearing after results day.

• Sunlight flooded the clearing where the old oaks had been felled.

• The bank runs its clearing operations from a dedicated processing centre.

• Thousands of students secure degrees each summer using clearing.

Where does clearing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The base word 'clear' came into English in the 1300s from the Old French 'cler', which in turn descended from the Latin 'clarus', meaning 'bright', 'distinct' or 'shining'. In Latin 'clarus' could describe a clear sky, a clear voice, or even a person of clear (that is, famous) reputation, and that same root survives in English words such as 'clarity', 'declare' and the name 'Clara'. The verb 'to clear' developed the sense of making something free of obstruction or making it open and visible. The noun 'clearing' is formed by adding the Germanic suffix '-ing', which turns a verb into a noun naming an action or its result; here it names both the act of clearing and the open patch of ground left behind. The spelling is regular, so the only real trap is remembering it is a single word built straightforwardly on 'clear'.

How the word is built

• clear (from Latin clarus: bright, clear)
• -ing (noun-forming suffix)