clammy

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈklæmi/ See IPA manual

Freq #29292

Meanings

1

adj
Unpleasantly cold and damp, often describing skin.

His hands were cold and clammy from fright.
2

adj
Damp and humid in an uncomfortable way.

The cave air was clammy and chilled them to the bone.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · unpleasantly cold and damp,... dank

2 adj · damp and humid in an... dank

Word family

Forms clammierclammiest

Derived forms clammilyclamminessclammyweedunclammy

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

clammy skin
skin that feels unpleasantly cool and damp

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English clam (“viscous, sticky; slimy”) + -y, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Compare German klamm (“clammy”) and klemmen (“to be stuck, stick”). See also clam.

clǣman Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# clammy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈklæmi/
**Frequency rank:** 29292

## Meanings
1. Unpleasantly cold and damp, often describing skin.
2. Damp and humid in an uncomfortable way.

## Examples
- His hands were cold and clammy from fright.
- The cave air was clammy and chilled them to the bone.

## Derived Forms
- clammily
- clamminess
- clammyweed
- unclammy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: clǣman

## Etymology
From Middle English clam (“viscous, sticky; slimy”) + -y, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Compare German klamm (“clammy”) and klemmen (“to be stuck, stick”). See also clam.

## AI Etymology
Clammy is from Middle English clam (“viscous, sticky; slimy”) + -y, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Compare German klamm (“clammy”) and klemmen (“to be stuck, stick”). See also clam. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean unpleasantly cold and damp, often describing skin, or damp and humid in an uncomfortable way. Derived formations include clammily, clamminess, clammyweed, unclammy.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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