clammy

[klam-ee]

adjective

clammier, clammiest 

1. covered with a cold, sticky moisture; cold and damp.

   clammy hands.

2. sickly; morbid.

   She had a clammy feeling that something was wrong at home.

clammy

/ ˈklæmɪ /

adjective

1. unpleasantly sticky; moist

   clammy hands

2. (of the weather, atmosphere, etc) close; humid

Other Word Forms

• clammily adverb
• clamminess noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clammy¹

1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to Middle English clam sticky, cold and damp + -y -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of clammy¹

C14: from Old English clǣman to smear; related to Old Norse kleima, Old High German kleimen

Example Sentences

“As soon as it gets sweaty and wet, it actually wicks heat away from your body and makes you feel really cold and clammy.”

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This evolutionary gift adds a clammy disquiet to the eye-jacked livestock, which never rests and is constantly evaluating its captors and fellow captives.

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Symptoms of heat exhaustion include clammy skin, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting and muscle cramps.

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Those opposing him can only take a clammy kind of pleasure in reminding them that this is what they voted for.

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Past the double glass doors, Maria Pascual, an employee, sat in front of a computer, her forehead clammy from the warmth.

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