clay
1 Americannoun
-
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.
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 (DuBignon) 1897–1978, U.S. general.
-
a male given name.
noun
-
Cassius See Muhammad Ali
-
Henry. 1777–1852, US statesman and orator; secretary of state (1825–29)
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
-
earth or mud in general
-
poetic the material of the human body
verb
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The findings, published in Astrobiology, suggest that missions searching for life on Mars should prioritize pure ice or ice rich permafrost instead of focusing mainly on rocks, clay, or soil.
From Science Daily
For the eyes, she had pressed blue shells from a hatched-out robin’s nest into the soft clay.
From Literature
He came to The Mountain to sell goods from The Kingdom—colorful threads, clay pots, and wooden spoons.
From Literature
In these streaming, serial times, a critic may have to watch as many as 10 hours of a show before putting fingers to keyboard, pen to paper, pointed stick to clay tablet.
From Los Angeles Times
The off-white cloak caked in clay is deliberately drained of all color.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
