clay

A2 Topic:Gardening & Horticulture

US /kleɪ/ See IPA manual

Freq #3323

Meanings

1

noun
A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.

Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with (by way of local color) on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust […].
2

noun
A tennis court surface made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate.

The French Open is played on clay.
3

noun
The material of the human body.

From clay we are made.
4

noun
A clay pigeon.

We went shooting clays at the weekend.

Thesaurus

Opposites

soul spirit

Word family

Forms clayedclaying

Derived forms brickclayclay-coldclaybankclaybedclaycourtclayenclayeyclayfieldclayheadclayingclayishclaykicker

Related forms alluvium

Appears in

Phrases (3)

See all

boulder clay
a mixture of clay, stones, and other material left behind by a glacier

Noun + noun
clay sculpture
a three-dimensional artwork made by shaping clay

Noun + noun
porcelain clay
a fine clay used in making porcelain and other ceramic products

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English cley, clay, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaij, from Proto-Germanic *klajjaz (“clay”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to glue, paste, stick together”). Cognate with Dutch klei (“clay”), Low German Klei (“clay”), German Klei, Danish klæg (“clay”); compare Ancient Greek γλία (glía), Latin glūten (“glue”) (whence ultimately English glue), Russian глина (glina, “clay”). Related also to clag, clog.

Topics

Gardening & Horticulture Materials & Substances

External links

# clay

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kleɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 3323

## Meanings
1. A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
2. A tennis court surface made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate.
3. The material of the human body.
4. A clay pigeon.

## Examples
- Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with (by way of local color) on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust […].
- The French Open is played on clay.
- From clay we are made.
- We went shooting clays at the weekend.

## Antonyms
- soul
- spirit

## Derived Forms
- brickclay
- clay-cold
- claybank
- claybed
- claycourt
- clayen
- clayey
- clayfield
- clayhead
- claying
- clayish
- claykicker

## Related Forms
- alluvium

## Etymology
From Middle English cley, clay, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaij, from Proto-Germanic *klajjaz (“clay”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to glue, paste, stick together”). Cognate with Dutch klei (“clay”), Low German Klei (“clay”), German Klei, Danish klæg (“clay”); compare Ancient Greek γλία (glía), Latin glūten (“glue”) (whence ultimately English glue), Russian глина (glina, “clay”). Related also to clag, clog.

## Topics
- Gardening & Horticulture
- Materials & Substances

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