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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

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Etymology

Origin of clay

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

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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

Morrish said the Harding's Pits Association Group was formed in 2004, adding that the green space was originally a clay pit in the 19th Century, before being used as a landfill site.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

In his hands a wafer-thin passage of clay becomes the fluttering hem of the Virgin’s mantle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

The clay, ceramic and metal sculptures look like munitions and rockets; one features a red handprint that symbolizes blood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Sports enthusiasts have their own dedicated amenity in the form of a clay tennis court, which is accompanied by an entertainment pavilion.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

I saw those too, and once in a while I’d take a fresh egg from one of their nests as a special treat to boil in my clay pot or bake in a wood fire.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Clay Rikard, senior vice president of system planning at Southern, said the company has a more than 99% voluntary-agreement rate with landowners and rarely resorts to condemnation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Coach Clay Helton did a little more with much less.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Clay & Buck, after all, took over the time slot that was previously filled by Limbaugh, the OG microphone-as-megaphone gasbag.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026

Matthew Sammon, a chartered trademark attorney at Sonder & Clay, said copyright belonged to the person who took the photo.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

“We don’t need Clay Bird and his harp,” Train Ear said.

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

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Related Words

• brick
• earth
• mud
• terra cotta

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