late 14c., "thing that cleanses" (usually figurative, in reference to purging sin), also "a purgative medicine;" 1560s in a literal sense "one who or that which makes clean;" agent noun from cleanse (v.). Old English had clænsere "priest."
cleanliness
clean-living
cleanly
cleanness
cleanse
cleanser
cleansing
clean-up
clear
clearance
clear-cut