Clarifier

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈklɛɹəfaɪɚ/

Definitions

1. A substance or agent used to remove impurities and make a liquid clear ; an individual or item that helps explain or make an idea easier to understand
2. An additive employed to clear cloudy fluids by causing particles to settle ; a person or device that elucidates or simplifies complex information
3. A chemical or material applied for purifying liquids by separating unwanted solids ; someone or something that provides explanation to improve comprehension

Etymology: The word is simply "clarify" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so its story is mostly the story of the verb. "Clarify" came into English from Old French "clarifier," which itself came from Latin "clarificare," meaning "to make clear" (from "clarus," clear, plus "facere," to make). The original sense was literal: to make a liquid clear, as when wine or broth is freed of cloudiness. The suffix is the older English "-er" that marks a person or thing that performs an action, which Middle English inherited through Old English "-ere" and Old French "-ier" from Latin "-arius." Adding it to "clarify" produced a noun for something that does the clearing, a sense that stayed closest to its original literal meaning for the chemical or material used to purify liquids. The figurative sense, a person or thing that explains something to aid understanding, grew naturally from the same idea of making something clear.

Synonyms: explainer, elucidator