† ˈclerete Obs.
Forms: 4 cleerte, 4–5 clerte, clerete, cleerete.
[ME. clerté, cleerté, variant of clarté, a. OF. clarté, earlier clartet (= Pr. clartat):—L. clāritāt-em clearness, f. clār-us clear. The vowel-change was due to assimilation to the adj. cler, cleer, clear, and may have begun in Anglo-Fr. In 16–17th c. Fr., clarté was similarly made clairté, after the adj. clair. Cf. clarity.]
Clearness, brightness, lustre; glory, renown.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xlii[i]. 5 Þou makis myrk wiþ þi sarynes þe clerte of my ioy. 1382 Wyclif Rev. xxi. 23 The cleerte [1388 clerete] of God shal liȝten it. a 1400–50 Alexander 2052 Þe son on þe heuen Kest away his clerete. c 1440 Gesta Rom. v. 12 (Add. MS.) There the sonne shyneth in his clerte. c 1520 Wyse Chylde & Emp. Adrian (W. de W.) (1860) 10 The emperour demaunded what god made fyrste. And the chylde answered hym lyght and clerte. |