Clear vs Light - What's the difference?

clear | light |

As a noun clear

is (scientology) an idea state of beingness free of unwanted influences.

As a proper noun light is

clear

English

Alternative forms

* (contraction used in electronics)

Adjective

(er)

Transparent in colour.

Bright, not dark or obscured.

Free of obstacles.

* , chapter=1

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path

Without clouds.

Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.

(lb) Of the sky, such that less than one eighth of its area is obscured by clouds.

Free of ambiguity or doubt.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= The new masters and commanders , passage=From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.

Distinct, sharp, well-marked.

(lb) Free of guilt, or suspicion.

* (Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)

Statesman, yet friend to truth! in soul sincere, / In action faithful, and in honour clear .

(lb) Without a thickening ingredient.

Possessing little or no perceptible stimulus.

(lb) Free from the influence of engrams; see .

Able to perceive clearly; keen; acute; penetrating; discriminating.

* (John Milton) (1608-1674)

Mother of science! now I feel thy power / Within me clear , not only to discern / Things in their causes, but to trace the ways / Of highest agents.

Not clouded with passion; serene; cheerful.

* (William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)

With a countenance as clear / As friendship wears at feasts.

Easily or distinctly heard; audible.

* (Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)

Hark! the numbers soft and clear / Gently steal upon the ear.

Unmixed; entirely pure.

Without defects or blemishes, such as freckles or knots.

Without diminution; in full; net.

* (Jonathan Swift) (1667–1745)

I often wished that I had clear , / For life, six hundred pounds a year.

Antonyms

* obscure * (of a soup) thick

Derived terms

* as clear as a bell * as clear as day * as clear as mud * clarity * clearly * clearness * crystal clear * free and clear * in the clear * keep a clear head * keep clear

Adverb

(-)

All the way; entirely.

I threw it clear across the river to the other side.

Not near something or touching it.

Stand clear of the rails, a train is coming.

free (or separate) from others

* {{quote-news

, year=2010 , date=December 29 , author=Chris Whyatt , title=Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Much soul-searching is going on at the west London club who, just seven weeks ago, were five points clear at the top of the table and playing with the verve with which they won the title last season. }}

(obsolete) In a clear manner; plainly.

* (rfdate) (Milton)

Now clear I understand.

Verb

(en verb)

(lb) To remove obstructions or impediments from.

*1715–8 , (Matthew Prior), “Alma: or, The Progre?s of the Mind” in Poems on Several Occa?ions (1741), canto III, p.297:

*:Faith, Dick, I mu?t confe?s, ?tis true // (But this is only Entre Nous ) // That many knotty Points there are, // Which All di?cu?s, but Few can clear .

*(Joseph Addison) (1672–1719)

*:A statue lies hid in a block of marble; and the art of the statuary only clears away the superfluous matter.

*{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)

, chapter=7 citation , passage=‘Children crawled over each other like little grey worms in the gutters,’ he said. ‘The only red things about them were their buttocks and they were raw. Their faces looked as if snails had slimed on them and their mothers were like great sick beasts whose byres had never been cleared .

*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=29, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Unspontaneous combustion , passage=Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear' its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to ' clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles.}}

(lb) To become freed from obstructions.

*:“A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable,.

(lb) To eliminate ambiguity or doubt from a matter; to clarify; especially, to clear up.

(lb) To remove from suspicion, especially of having committed a crime.

*(John Dryden) (1631-1700)

*:Iam sure he will clear me from partiality.

*(Joseph Addison) (1672–1719)

*:Wouldst thou clear rebellion?

(lb) To pass without interference; to miss.

(lb) To become clear.

(lb) Of a check or financial transaction, to go through as payment; to be processed so that the money is transferred.

To earn a profit of; to net.

* (1800-1859)

the profit which she cleared on the cargo

(lb) To obtain permission to use (a sample of copyrighted audio) in another track.

To disengage oneself from incumbrances, distress, or entanglements; to become free.

*1613 , (Francis Bacon), (second edition), essay 18: “ Of Expences”:

*:Be?ides, he that cleares' at once will relap?e: for finding him?elfe out of ?traights, he will reuert to his cu?tomes. But hee that ' cleareth by degrees, induceth an habite of frugality, and gaineth as well vpon his minde, as vpon his E?tate.

To obtain a clearance.

(lb) To defend by hitting (or kicking, throwing, heading etc.) the ball (or puck) from the defending goal.

*{{quote-news, year=2010, date=December 29, author=Chris Whyatt, title=Chelsea 1-0 Bolton

, work=BBC citation , passage=Bolton then went even closer when Elmander's cross was met by a bullet header from Holden, which forced a wonderful tip over from Cech before Drogba then cleared the resulting corner off the line.}}

To fell all trees of a forest.

To reset or unset; to return to an empty state or to zero.

Synonyms

* (clear a forest) stub

Derived terms

* clear away * clear off * clear out * clear up * clearance * clearing

Noun

(en noun)

(carpentry) Full extent; distance between extreme limits; especially; the distance between the nearest surfaces of two bodies, or the space between walls.

a room ten feet square in the clear

Statistics

Anagrams

* * * English transitive verbs 1000 English basic words

light

English

Alternative forms

* lite (informal); lyght, lyghte (obsolete) * (l) (Scotland)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) .

Noun

(wikipedia light) (en noun)

(uncountable) The natural medium emanating from the Sun and other very hot sources (now recognised as electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 400-750 nm), within which vision is possible.

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)

, chapter=3 citation , passage=Here the stripped panelling was warmly gold and the pictures, mostly of the English school, were mellow and gentle in the afternoon light .}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Out of the gloom , passage=[Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light' to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of ' light in the villages.}}

A source of illumination.

* , chapter=5

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights , […], the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.}}

Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information.

* Shakespeare

He shall never know / That I had any light of this from thee.

Facts; pieces of information; ideas, concepts.

* , Book I, New York 2001, page 166:

Now these notions are twofold, actions or habits […], which are durable lights and notions, which we may use when we will.

A notable person within a specific field or discipline.

* Tennyson

Joan of Arc, a light of ancient France

(painting) The manner in which the light strikes a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or other scene; opposed to shade .

A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded.

* South

Frequent consideration of a thing shows it in its several lights and various ways of appearance.

A flame or something used to create fire.

A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or coloured flame.

a Bengal light

A window, or space for a window in architecture.

The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue.

(informal) A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.

Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity.

* Shakespeare

The duke yet would have dark deeds darkly answered; he would never bring them to light .

The power of perception by vision.

* Bible, Psalms xxxviii. 10

My strength faileth me; as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.

The brightness of the eye or eyes.

* Shakespeare

He seemed to find his way without his eyes; / For out o'door he went without their helps, / And, to the last, bended their light on me.

A traffic light, or, by extension, an intersection controlled by one.

Synonyms

* (electromagnetic wave perceived by the eye) visible light

Derived terms

* ancient lights * black light * booklight * bring to light * come to light * fanlight * footlight * gaslight * half-light * headlight * hide one's light under a bushel * lamplight * light at the end of the tunnel * light box, lightbox * light bucket * light globe * Light of the World * lightbulb * lighthouse * ! * moonlight * nightlight * searchlight * see the light * skylight * spotlight * strike a light * sunlight * twilight * Very light * white light

Etymology 2

From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .

Verb

To start (a fire).

We lit the fire to get some heat.

To set fire to; to set burning; to kindle.

She lit her last match.

* Hakewill

if a thousand candles be all lighted from one

* Addison

Absence might cure it, or a second mistress / Light up another flame, and put out this.

To illuminate.

I used my torch to light the way home through the woods in the night.

* F. Harrison

One hundred years ago, to have lit' this theatre as brilliantly as it is now ' lighted would have cost, I suppose, fifty pounds.

* Dryden

The Sun has set, and Vesper, to supply / His absent beams, has lighted up the sky.

To become ignited; to take fire.

This soggy match will not light .

To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light.

* Landor

His bishops lead him forth, and light him on.

Synonyms

* ignite, kindle, conflagrate * (illuminate) illuminate, light up

Antonyms

* extinguish, put out, quench

Derived terms

* light someone's fire * light up * highlight

Etymology 3

From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) . Cognate with (etyl) (m), (etyl) (m).

Adjective

(er)

Having light.

Pale in colour.

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage='Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the Sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.}}

(of coffee) Served with extra milk or cream.

Synonyms

* (having light) bright * (pale in colour) pale * : white, with milk, with cream

Derived terms

* light-haired * light-skinned

Etymology 4

From (etyl) .

Adjective

(er)

Of low weight; not heavy.

My bag was much lighter once I had dropped off the books.

* Addison

These weights did not exert their natural gravity insomuch that I could not guess which was light or heavy whilst I held them in my hand.

Lightly-built; designed for speed or small loads.

We took a light aircraft down to the city.

(senseid)Gentle; having little force or momentum.

This artist clearly had a light , flowing touch.

Easy to endure or perform.

light duties around the house

* Dryden

Light sufferings give us leisure to complain.

Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc.

This light beer still gets you drunk if you have enough of it.

Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance.

I made some light comment, and we moved on.

travelling with no carriages, wagons attached

(obsolete) Unchaste, wanton.

* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , I.i:

Long after lay he musing at her mood, / Much grieu'd to thinke that gentle Dame so light , / For whose defence he was to shed his blood.

* Shakespeare

So do not you; for you are a light girl.

* Shakespeare

A light wife doth make a heavy husband.

Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons.

light''' troops; a troop of '''light horse

Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift.

* Francis Bacon

Unmarried men are best friends, best masters but not always best subjects, for they are light to run away.

(dated) Easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile.

a light''', vain person; a '''light mind

* Tillotson

There is no greater argument of a light and inconsiderate person than profanely to scoff at religion.

Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy.

* Shakespeare

Seneca can not be too heavy, nor Plautus too light .

* Hawthorne

specimens of New England humour laboriously light and lamentably mirthful

Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy.

* Shakespeare

Are his wits safe? Is he not light of brain?

Not of the legal, standard, or usual weight; clipped; diminished.

light coin

Synonyms

* (of low weight) * (lightly-built) lightweight * (having little force or momentum) delicate, gentle, soft * lite, lo-cal (low in calories), low-alcohol (low in alcohol) * (having little value or significance) inconsequential, trivial, unimportant

Antonyms

* (of low weight) heavy, weighty * (lightly-built) cumbersome, heavyweight, massive * (having little force or momentum) forceful, heavy, strong * calorific (high in calories), fatty (high in fat), strong (high in alcohol) * (having little value or significance) crucial, important, weighty

Derived terms

* light as a feather * lightness

Adverb

(er)

Carrying little.

I prefer to travel light.

Noun

(en noun)

(curling) A stone that is not thrown hard enough.

Verb

(en verb)

(nautical) To unload a ship, or to jettison material to make it lighter

To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off.

* Spenser

His mailèd habergeon she did undight, / And from his head his heavy burgonet did light .

Derived terms

* lighter

Etymology 5

(etyl)

Verb

To find by chance.

I lit upon a rare book in a second-hand bookseller's.

(archaic) To alight.

She fell out of the window but luckily lit on her feet.

Synonyms

* (find by chance) chance upon, come upon, find, happen upon, hit upon * (alight) alight, land

Derived terms

* light into * light out

Statistics

* English terms with multiple etymologies 1000 English basic words ----