a natural earthy material that is plastic when wet, consisting essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum: used for making bricks, pottery, etc.
earth; mud.
earth, especially regarded as the material from which the human body was formed.
the human body, especially as distinguished from the spirit or soul; the flesh.
human character as estimated according to fineness of constitution, endowments, etc..
The saints and heroes seem of a different clay from most of us.
to treat or mix with clay; cover, daub, or fill with clay.
to filter through clay.
Bertha M. Charlotte Monica Braeme, 1836–84, English author: originator of a long series of romantic novels.
Cassius Marcellus, 1810–1903, U.S. antislavery leader and diplomat.
Cassius Marcellus, Jr., original name of Muhammad Ali.
Henry, 1777–1852, U.S. statesman and orator.
Lucius (DuBignon) 1897–1978, U.S. general.
a male given name.
Cassius See Muhammad Ali
Henry. 1777–1852, US statesman and orator; secretary of state (1825–29)
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
earth or mud in general
poetic the material of the human body
First recorded before 1000; Middle English clei, cleigh, Old English clǣg, cognate with Dutch klei, German Klei, akin to glue
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."
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But S&P’s Clay is well suited to this moment.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
But MoffetNathanson analyst Clay Griffin isn’t surprised by the price increase and digital format of “GTA 6,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026
Founder and chief executive Timo Boldt said the closure was "an incredibly difficult proposal given the impact on our colleagues in Clay Lake, who have contributed enormously to Gousto's journey over a number of years".
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
A worker who answered the phone shortly after 1 p.m. at LA Clay Shooting Sports Park, 831 Rosemead Blvd., said workers were evacuating all customers from the property where the fire started.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026
Clay found the overhead-light switch, flicked it on, then stepped across the puny, servant’s-size room and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing his host.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
