English
cleanse
Cleanse comes from Middle English clensen ‘to sift or strain as to refine’, from Old English clǣnsian ‘to clean, cleanse’, and ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *klainī.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*klainī‘clean’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*klainisōn‘to cleanse’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150clǣnsian‘to clean, cleanse’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500clensen‘to sift or strain as to refine’
- Englishearliest quotation 1626cleanse
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*klainī‘clean’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*klainisōn‘to cleanse’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150clǣnsian‘to clean, cleanse’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500clensen‘to sift or strain as to refine’
- Englishearliest quotation 1626cleanse
Earliest quotation: 1626, William Methold [i.e., William Methwold]: “[T]he famous Ganges: whoſe vnknowne head, pleaſant ſtreames, and…”
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *klainī
Today it means
verb To free from dirt; to clean, to purify.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *klainī / cleanse