|ən|klēn adjective
Etymology: Middle English unclene, from Old English unclǣne, from un- (I) + clǣne clean
1.
a. : morally impure
something sneaking and unclean about secret code messages — Fletcher Pratt
feels unclean when he discovers he has been used for an experiment — A.P.Davis
b. : wicked
commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him — Mk 1:27 (Revised Standard Version)
2.
a. : ritually prohibited as food
an unclean animal
unclean meat
b. : ceremonially unfit or defiled
people who were unclean in the eyes of the law — C.T.Craig
3.
a. : dirty , filthy
an unclean shirt
an unclean glass
b. : not desirable or wholesome as food — used of fish that have just spawned
4. : lacking in clarity and precision of conception or execution : impure , muddled
a compromised and unclean design — N.W.Sharpe
had some trouble with her intonation, and much of her double-stopping was unclean — Musical Digest
• un·clean·ness -ēnnə̇s noun