clar·i·fy

[klar-uh-fahy] verb, clar·i·fied, clar·i·fy·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or intelligible; to free from ambiguity.
2.
to remove solid matter from (a liquid); to make into a clear or pellucid liquid.
3.
to free (the mind, intelligence, etc.) from confusion; revive: The short nap clarified his thoughts.
verb (used without object)
4.
to become clear, pure, or intelligible: The political situation clarified.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French clarifier < Late Latin clārificāre, equivalent to Latin clār(us) clear + -ificāre -ify

clar·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
clar·i·fi·er, noun
non·clar·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
non·clar·i·fied, adjective
un·clar·i·fied, adjective
un·clar·i·fy·ing, adjective


1. explain, illuminate, elucidate, resolve.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To clarify
00:10
Clarify is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
Collins
World English Dictionary
clarify (ˈklærɪˌfaɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb , -fies, -fying, -fied
1.  to make or become clear or easy to understand
2.  to make or become free of impurities
3.  to make (fat, butter, etc) clear by heating, etc, or (of fat, etc) to become clear as a result of such a process
 
[C14: from Old French clarifier, from Late Latin clārificāre, from Latin clārus clear + facere to make]
 
clarifi'cation
 
n
 
'clarifier
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

clarify
early 14c., from O.Fr. clarifier, from L. clarificare "to make clear," from L. clarus "famous, clear" (from clarare) + root of facere "to make, do" (see factitious).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

Clarify definition

company
A software vendor, specialising in Customer Relationship Management software. Nortel Networks sold Clarify to Amdocs in 2002.
(http://amdocsclarify.com/).
(2003-06-20)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Example sentences
If you are not sure, ask him to clarify the question.
Knowing everything about them could clarify their role in sickness and health.
The political will exists to streamline and clarify these regs, and to prevent
  food companies from finding loopholes.
Diagrams on the wall clarify the shape vagaries of the waistline.
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