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• clay
  clay

  noun

  a natural earthy material that is plastic when wet, consisting essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum: used for making bricks, pottery, etc.
• Clay
  Clay

  noun

  Bertha M. Charlotte Monica Braeme, 1836–84, English author: originator of a long series of romantic novels.

clay

¹ American  

[kley] / kleɪ /

noun

1. a natural earthy material that is plastic when wet, consisting essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum: used for making bricks, pottery, etc.

2. earth; mud.

3. earth, especially regarded as the material from which the human body was formed.

4. the human body, especially as distinguished from the spirit or soul; the flesh.

5. human character as estimated according to fineness of constitution, endowments, etc..

   The saints and heroes seem of a different clay from most of us.

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verb (used with object)

1. to treat or mix with clay; cover, daub, or fill with clay.

2. to filter through clay.

Clay ² American  

[kley] / kleɪ /

noun

1. Bertha M. Charlotte Monica Braeme, 1836–84, English author: originator of a long series of romantic novels.

2. Cassius Marcellus, 1810–1903, U.S. antislavery leader and diplomat.

3. Cassius Marcellus, Jr., original name of Muhammad Ali.

4. Henry, 1777–1852, U.S. statesman and orator.

5. Lucius (DuBignon) 1897–1978, U.S. general.

6. a male given name.

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Clay ¹ British  

/ kleɪ /

noun

1. Cassius See Muhammad Ali

2. Henry. 1777–1852, US statesman and orator; secretary of state (1825–29)

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clay ² British  

/ kleɪ /

noun

1. a very fine-grained material that consists of hydrated aluminium silicate, quartz, and organic fragments and occurs as sedimentary rocks, soils, and other deposits. It becomes plastic when moist but hardens on heating and is used in the manufacture of bricks, cement, ceramics, etc

2. earth or mud in general

3. poetic the material of the human body

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verb

1. (tr) to cover or mix with clay

clay Scientific  

/ klā /

1. A stiff, sticky sedimentary material that is soft and pliable when wet and consists mainly of various silicates of aluminum. Clay particles are smaller than silt, having a diameter less than 0.0039 mm. Clay is widely used to make bricks, pottery, and tiles.

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clay Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing clay

• feet of clay

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Other Word Forms

• clayey
  adjective
• claylike
  adjective
• unclayed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of clay

First recorded before 1000; Middle English clei, cleigh, Old English clǣg, cognate with Dutch klei, German Klei, akin to glue

Explanation

Clay is a type of soil or dirt that's made of very small particles. You can mold clay into different shapes when it's wet. Clay is terrible for planting a vegetable garden, but it's perfect for making pottery, tiles, or bricks. You can shape damp clay into a bowl or a cup, and when it's dried and fired in a very hot oven, it becomes extremely hard and sturdy. The Old English root of clay is clæg, "stiff, sticky earth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clay Clay

Another possibility is that it was heated later, destroying clay minerals that had once been present.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

But the clay was dry and there was a colorful palette of pigments in front of me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Older versions of the story exist on clay tablets, but the water-damaged sections of parchment kept at the Manchester library are the most ancient version of the epic in "book" form.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The “yellow clay room” features clay from Korea on the walls and floor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

It’s one of the clay pits dug by the town’s brickworks and has since filled with water.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

He did come to a session once with Andrew Dice Clay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

It also set in motion, Clay Risen writes, “the wheels of myth-making, idealism, and national self-interest that would guide the country through the twentieth century.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Thursday also marked Micron’s first concrete pour for its facility in Clay, N.Y., a quarter ahead of schedule.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

But S&P’s Clay is well suited to this moment.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Clay took a, couple of slow steps toward the door.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• brick
• earth
• mud