red clay

American  

noun

Geology.

1. a brown to red, widely distributed deep-sea deposit consisting chiefly of microscopic particles and tinted red by iron oxides and manganese.

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Other Word Forms

• red-clay
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of red clay

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red clay

The downpour turned the path—uphill, then downhill, then uphill again—into a slick mess of red clay and rock; every step had my blisters screaming in a new language.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Osaka arrived on Court Suzanne Lenglen with a black corset and cascading pleated skirt that swept dramatically over the red clay.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

Cobblestone streets and mom-and-pop stores speckle the downtown of this city of 18,000 that is caked in red clay soil and nestled among rolling hills.

From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2024

“The lifestyle itself is similar, but you know, there’s not a lot of red clay around Morton,” says Cramer, referring to a soil type synonymous with parts of the South.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024

Gregor washed off his leg and put on some ointment from a red clay pot he remembered Solovet using for wounds.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

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