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

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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She has found herself with acne or clammy hands, only to realize they are potential side effects when people are on some antidepressants.

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