— cleanliness /klen"lee nis/ , n.
adj. /klen"lee/ ; adv. /kleen"lee/ , adj., cleanlier, cleanliest , adv.
adj.
1. personally neat; careful to keep or make clean: The cat is by nature a cleanly animal.
2. habitually kept clean.
3. Obs. cleansing; making clean.
adv.
4. in a clean manner.
[ bef. 900; ME clenlich ( e ), OE claenlic, equiv. to claene CLEAN + -lic -LY ]