clay

[ kley ]

/ kleɪ /

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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

to filter through clay.

Origin of clay

before 1000; Middle English; Old English clǣg, cognate with Dutch, German Klei, akin to glue

OTHER WORDS FROM clay

clay·like, adjective un·clayed, adjective

Words nearby clay

claw-and-ball foot, clawed, clawhand, clawson, claxon, clay, clay court, clay eater, clay flour, clay mineral, clay pigeon

Definition for clay (2 of 3)

clay ²

[ kley ]

/ kleɪ /

noun

a lusterless serge having a rough texture.

Also called clay worsted.

Origin of clay

perhaps short for clay drab clay-colored cloth

Definition for clay (3 of 3)

Clay

[ kley ]

/ kleɪ /

noun

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 (Du·Bi·gnon)

[doo-bin-yon] /ˌdu bɪnˈyɒn/,1897–1978, U.S. general.

a male given name.

Example sentences from the Web for clay

But, together, Webster, Clay, and Calhoun delayed the Civil War for 40 years.

Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween |P. J. O’Rourke |November 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Clay engineered the morally indefensible Missouri Compromise.

Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween |P. J. O’Rourke |November 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It just changed into something quite dark and unattractive with Clay, and was a unique moment in my artistic career.

Ron Perlman's Secret Suicide Attempt |William O’Connor |October 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Horace was athletic and clever, known, probably apocryphally, as the fastest cotton picker in Clay County.

Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History |Katie Baker |October 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Further, as Grimes shouts “pull,” to indicate the release of the clay target, she closes one eye.

Alison Lundergan Grimes’s New TV Ad Is One Big Gun Gaffe |Tim Mak |September 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I wandered on, heavy sniping hissing over my head or into the parapet, covering me with clay occasionally.

Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie |George Brenton Laurie
Clay, to be precise, is a silicate of alumina, a term which is interesting when it is explained.

The Romance of War Inventions |Thomas W. Corbin
In this Clay was conspicuous, and Webster and Calhoun were his sympathetic allies.

Expansion and Conflict |William E. Dodd
It was in turning little things like these to account, that Mr. Clay, in the earlier period of his career, was so remarkable.

Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXVII, August 1852, Vol. V |Various
It is therefore necessary to deal with clay in this chapter and follow with a consideration of metal in another chapter.

Industrial Arts Design |William H. Varnum

British Dictionary definitions for clay (1 of 2)

clay

/ (kleɪ) /

noun

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 Related adjective: figuline

earth or mud in general

poetic the material of the human body

verb

(tr) to cover or mix with clay

Derived forms of clay

clayey, clayish or claylike, adjective

Word Origin for clay

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

British Dictionary definitions for clay (2 of 2)

Clay

/ (kleɪ) /

noun

Cassius See Muhammad Ali

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

Scientific definitions for clay

clay

[ klā ]

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.

Idioms and Phrases with clay

clay

In addition to the idiom beginning with clay

clay pigeon

also see:

feet of clay

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

clay

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of clay

OTHER WORDS FROM clay

Words nearby clay

Definition for clay (2 of 3)

noun

Origin of clay

Definition for clay (3 of 3)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for clay

British Dictionary definitions for clay (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Derived forms of clay

Word Origin for clay

British Dictionary definitions for clay (2 of 2)

noun

Scientific definitions for clay

Idioms and Phrases with clay

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

clay

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of clay

OTHER WORDS FROM clay

Words nearby clay

Definition for clay (2 of 3)

noun

Origin of clay

Definition for clay (3 of 3)

noun

Words related to clay

Example sentences from the Web for clay

British Dictionary definitions for clay (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Derived forms of clay

Word Origin for clay

British Dictionary definitions for clay (2 of 2)

noun

Scientific definitions for clay

Idioms and Phrases with clay