An archaic or variant term, possibly related to clearness or clarity, or a historical musical or artistic term whose precise meaning is unclear.
Possibly from Old French clair 'clear' or related to Middle English clereness. The exact etymology is uncertain as this appears to be an obsolete or highly specialized term with limited historical documentation.
Words like 'clairce' that appear in historical texts but seem to have no clear meaning remind us that dictionaries are incomplete snapshots—entire vocabularies have vanished as technologies and cultures changed, and we'll never fully recover what speakers once meant.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.