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Clay

 - 12 dictionary results

clay

1[kley]
–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, esp. regarded as the material from which the human body was formed.
4. the human body, esp. 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.
–verb (used with object)
6. to treat or mix with clay; cover, daub, or fill with clay.
7. to filter through clay.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE clǣg, c. D, G Klei, akin to glue


claylike, adjective

clay

2[kley]
–noun
a lusterless serge having a rough texture.
Also called clay worsted.


Origin:
perh. short for clay drab clay-colored cloth

Clay

[kley]
–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 (Du⋅Bi⋅gnon) [doo-bin-yon] , 1897–1978, U.S. general.
6. a male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Clay
clay   (klā)   
n.  
    1. A fine-grained, firm earthy material that is plastic when wet and hardens when heated, consisting primarily of hydrated silicates of aluminum and widely used in making bricks, tiles, and pottery.

    2. A hardening or nonhardening material having a consistency similar to clay and used for modeling.

  1. Geology A sedimentary material with grains smaller than 0.002 millimeters in diameter.

  2. Moist sticky earth; mud.

  3. The human body as opposed to the spirit.


[Middle English clei, from Old English clæg.]
clay'ey (klā'ē), clay'ish adj.
Clay 1   (klā)   
American abolitionist and public official who was minister to Russia (1861-1862 and 1863-1869).
Clay 2   (klā)   
See Muhammad Ali.
Clay, Henry Known as "the Great Compromiser." 1777-1852.  
American politician who pushed the Missouri Compromise through the U.S. House of Representatives (1820) in an effort to reconcile free and slave states.
Clay, Lucius DuBignon 1897-1978.  
American army officer who commanded U.S. forces in Germany (1945-1949) and oversaw the Berlin airlift (1948).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
clay

  1. n.
    good-quality hashish. (Drugs.) : Ask John where you can dig up some clay.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

clay 
O.E. clæg "stiff, sticky earth; clay," from W.Gmc. *klaijaz, from PIE base *glei "to stick together" (cf. Gk. gloios "sticky matter," L. glus, gluten, O.Slav. glina "clay"). Clay pigeon is from 1888.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Bible Dictionary

Clay

This word is used of sediment found in pits or in streets (Isa. 57:20; Jer. 38:60), of dust mixed with spittle (John 9:6), and of potter's clay (Isa. 41:25; Nah. 3:14; Jer. 18:1-6; Rom. 9:21). Clay was used for sealing (Job 38:14; Jer. 32:14). Our Lord's tomb may have been thus sealed (Matt. 27:66). The practice of sealing doors with clay is still common in the East. Clay was also in primitive times used for mortar (Gen. 11:3). The "clay ground" in which the large vessels of the temple were cast (1 Kings 7:46; 2 Chr. 4:17) was a compact loam fitted for the purpose. The expression literally rendered is, "in the thickness of the ground,", meaning, "in stiff ground" or in clay.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

clay

In addition to the idiom beginning with clay, also see feet of clay.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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