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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  

[klay] / 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  

[klay] / 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

Decorated pots were also produced using higher quality clay, suggesting that the migrant potters were allowed access to scarce, superior materials for their work.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Tiny grains, cracks and empty spaces can then reveal how the clay was prepared and what materials were mixed into it.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Many of Brazil’s rare-earth projects seek to tap reserves found in clay, which are typically expected to be cheaper and easier to process than those found in the hard-rock deposits common in Australia and elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

A giant clay sculpture of Pope Leo XIV's head takes shape in a workshop in Peru's capital, as the Andean nation prepares for the pontiff's visit in November.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

I dug my fingers into the clay to gain purchase and pulled.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

“We don’t have rules for opening a private school,” Kaelin Clay, an Arkansas Department of Education spokesperson, told us earlier this year.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Oh, I long for the glory days of … Clay Helton!

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Art director Kitty Clay said a lot of the models are still being used 20 years after they were made.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Co-CEO Clay Magouyrk said on Oracle’s earnings call that the company is constantly finding “interesting ways to fund the business,” beyond spending its own capital.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

To be totally honest, there was never a point where I said to myself, Clay Jensen…he’s the one.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

Related Words

• brick
• earth
• mud