clay

¹

[kley]

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.

verb (used with object)

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

2. to filter through clay.

Clay

²

[kley]

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.

clay

¹

/ 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

verb

1. (tr) to cover or mix with clay

Clay

²

/ kleɪ /

noun

1. Cassius See Muhammad Ali

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

clay

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.

Other Word Forms

• claylike adjective
• unclayed adjective
• clayey adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clay¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of clay¹

Old English clǣg; related to Old High German klīa, Norwegian kli, Latin glūs glue, Greek gloios sticky oil

Idioms and Phrases

• feet of clay

Example Sentences

One key defense against this process: a network of de-watering wells, which pump out the water that lubricates the soil’s clay layers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The house is wrapped in clinker brick, a term for when clay bricks are set too close to the flames when being fired in a kiln, giving them distorted shapes and colors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It also offered horseback riding along the resort’s dirt trails, swimming in a huge outdoor pool, clay tennis courts, casino gambling, an antiques shop, and even a movie theater for the guests.

Read more on Literature

They also uncovered a bronze sword and scores of bronze bowls, clay dishes, and other pottery.

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In the small southeast QLD town of Murgon, scientists have spent decades excavating what appears to be an ordinary clay pit in a local grazier's backyard.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• brick 
• earth 
• mud