Noah Webster
Clearing
CLEARING, participle present tense Purifying; removing foul matter, incumbrances, or obstructions; making evident, or luminous; cleansing; liberating; disengaging; acquitting; making gain beyond all costs and charges.
CLEARING, noun
1. A defense; justification; vindication. 2 Corinthians 7:11.
2. A place or tract of land cleared of wood for cultivation; a common use of the word in America.
3. The act of making clear.