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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Second baseman Kaniya Bragg saved the Bruins from giving up more runs when she trapped Sierra Humphreys’ single in the clay before it could reach the grass.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
However, like most Argentinian players, 21-year-old Sierra started on the clay as a toddler and recently showed her ability by taking a set from reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff in Madrid.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Nadal was a teenage prodigy who dominated on clay from the moment he won Monte Carlo in 2005, adding the Rome and Roland Garros titles in the following weeks.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
“I find that the clay is a little bit more casual in general,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Most of the homes in the village looked the same, with smooth clay walls, thatched roofs, dirt paths, and large stone thresholds.
From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins
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.
