Thank you for your feedback :)

why does the right-click menu now have Remove where there was Clear?

This string change was made in PR #2923 because of a discussion related to open issue #2922 which is about some measure to help avoid accidental deletion of the history.

The renaming of these button and menu item labels seem to be an interim measure, in part to gather feedback such as you have kindly provided.

@hboetes I'm not sure if the string change on these button and menu item labels were considered to make more sense for non-English translations, or if it was better the way it was before?

I think remove is clearer. 😎
I just tested a few translations, and "remove" was unambiguous. Clear went all over the place. (transparent/clean)

The meanings I commonly associate with these words:

• Clear: remove everything
• Remove: get rid of specific items

The string was changed to Remove to match all other lists in the application (e.g. wishlist, shares), and hopefully provide some more contrast between removing specific items and clearing everything.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when others hear these words?

I agree, that's how I'd interpret them in the given context.

If that's what is commonly associated with clear there would be no need for Clear All as a submenu designation; I was certainly never confused on what Clear did.

I think using one word for the functionality across the application, whether it be clear or remove, is the best option. Using two different words for the same function even if they're different in scope makes the app confusing. As opposed to Clear and Clear All have Remove and Remove Options, for example.