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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

Roughly 400 years ago, a member of the Indigenous Potano-Timucua tribe shaped a small clay vessel by hand.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Instead of coming up to the counter and asking for a free beverage, people are also welcome to take one of the polymer clay hearts on the drinks board.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

These clay minerals require liquid water to form.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

A selection of ceramic test tiles show how they develop organic “accretions” on the surfaces of the vessels on view here, by building up clay slip through countless coats of uneven applications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

She twisted herself into a kneeling position, getting several bad scratches from the acacias in the process, and pulled the clay pot back.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Her plucky Annie Clay dominates the first episode, “Graceland,” riding out a worldwide apocalypse in Elvis’ mansion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Her employer, Clay, scaled back work for a week so employees could travel to this retreat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Gousto said it would shut its Clay Lake unit, near Spalding, and centralise the production of its food boxes at one site in Cheshire to reduce costs.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

“Don’t worry, Clay Bird. I’ll give it back when I’m done.”

From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• brick
• earth
• mud