clair

Clair is a term with several distinct uses in French and English. In French, clair is an adjective meaning clear, light, or obvious. It derives from Old French clair, from Latin clarus, and it is used to describe clarity of statements, weather, colors, and light. It also appears in common phrases such as clair de lune (moonlight), clair et net (clear and sharp), and clair-obscur (the stylistic contrast of light and shadow in art).

In English, clair most often appears as a component of borrowed terms, or as a proper name. As a given name or surname, Clair is a variant of Claire or Clare and is used in some English-speaking countries. The root clair is central to several English words formed from French compounds that denote perceptual clarity: clairvoyant (clear sight), clairvoyance, and related terms such as clairaudient (clear hearing), claircognizant (clear knowing), clairgustant (clear tasting), and clairalience (clear smelling). These terms are most common in parapsychology, spiritualist, or New Age contexts.

Culturally, the term appears in titles and phrases such as Clair de lune, the famous Debussy piano piece meaning “Moonlight.” In art discourse, clair-obscur is used to refer to contrasts between light and shadow, though the more common English term is chiaroscuro.

Overall, clair functions as both a French adjective and a productive stem in English, linking language, perception, and a set of specialized vocabulary related to clarity and sensory experience.