Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: clarifier, from Late Latin clarificare, from Latin clarus; CLEAR1

clarify

 verb
     
clar‧i‧fy past tense and past participle clarified, present participle clarifying, third person singular clarifies [transitive]
1 formal to make something clearer or easier to understand [↪ clarification]
clarify issues/a statement/matters etc
Could you clarify one or two points for me?
Reporters asked him to clarify his position (=say exactly what his beliefs are) on welfare reform.
clarify how/what etc
The report aims to clarify how these conclusions were reached.
2 to make something cleaner or purer by heating it:
clarified butter
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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