| From ME. clarté, a. OF. clarté:L. clritt-em clearness, f. clr-us clear. This early form has been changed in two directions: first by assimilation to clere, cleer, CLEAR, it became clerté, cleerte, CLERETE (cf. surety), which became obs. in 16th c.; secondly under influence of the Lat. [[original]], it became clarité, claritie, clarity (cf. purity, [[security]], etc.); this became almost obs. by 1700, but has been revived by many modern writers, and is now frequent in sense 4. | | From ME. clarté, a. OF. clarté:L. clritt-em clearness, f. clr-us clear. This early form has been changed in two directions: first by assimilation to clere, cleer, CLEAR, it became clerté, cleerte, CLERETE (cf. surety), which became obs. in 16th c.; secondly under influence of the Lat. [[original]], it became clarité, claritie, clarity (cf. purity, [[security]], etc.); this became almost obs. by 1700, but has been revived by many modern writers, and is now frequent in sense 4. |
− | *1. Brightness, lustre, brilliancy, splendour. Obs. (An exceedingly common sense in 17th c.) | + | *1. Brightness, lustre, brilliancy, splendour. Obs. (An exceedingly common [[sense]] in 17th c.) |
− | *4. Clearness: in various current uses; e.g. of colour, sky, atmosphere, sight, intellect, judgement, conscience, style. | + | *4. Clearness: in various current uses; e.g. of [[colour]], sky, atmosphere, [[sight]], [[intellect]], [[judgement]], conscience, style. |