Standard Lemma guide

clay

name · noun · verb · 30 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kleɪ/
  • rhymes with -eɪ
  • klā
  • [kl̥eɪ]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K L EY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname originating as an occupation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

A diminutive of the male given name Clayton.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

name

Meaning 4

A number of places in the United States:

A city in Jefferson County, Alabama.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

name

Meaning 5

A number of places in the United States:

A census-designated place in Sacramento County, California.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

name

Meaning 6

A number of places in the United States:

A home rule city in Webster County, Kentucky, named after Henry Clay.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

name

Meaning 7

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Adair County, Missouri.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

name

Meaning 8

A number of places in the United States:

A town in Onondaga County, New York, named after Henry Clay.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

name

Meaning 9

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Franklin Township, Jackson County, Ohio.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

name

Meaning 10

A number of places in the United States:

A census-designated place in Burleson County, Texas.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

name

Meaning 11

A number of places in the United States:

A town, the county seat of Clay County, West Virginia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

name

Meaning 12

A number of places in the United States:

A ghost town in the town of Komensky, Jackson County, Wisconsin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

name

Meaning 13

A number of places in the United States:

A number of townships in the United States, listed under Clay Township.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

name

Meaning 14

Ellipsis of Clay County.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

An earth material with ductile qualities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

noun

Meaning 17

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports, tennis

Examples

  • The French Open is played on clay.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

noun

Meaning 18

The material of the human body.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: biblical, lifestyle, religion

Examples

  • From clay we are made.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

19

noun

Meaning 19

A particle less than 3.9 microns in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

20

noun

Meaning 20

A clay pipe for smoking tobacco.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

21

noun

Meaning 21

A clay pigeon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, uncountable, usually

Topics: engineering, firearms, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

Examples

  • We went shooting clays at the weekend.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

22

noun

Meaning 22

Land or territory of a country or other political region, especially when subject to territorial claims.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, humorous, uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Vilnius is rightful Polish clay.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soil

Antonyms: none provided

23

noun

Meaning 23

A moth, Mythimna ferrago

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

24

verb

Meaning 24

To add clay to, to spread clay onto.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

25

verb

Meaning 25

To purify using clay.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • 1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Book IV, Chapter 7: Of Colonies, Part 2: Causes of Prosperity of New Colonies, They amounted, therefore, to a prohibition, at first of claying or refining sugar for any foreign market, and at present of claying or refining it for the market, which takes off, perhaps, more than nine-tenths of the whole produce.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

26

noun

Meaning 26

the dead body of a human being

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the cadaver was intended for dissection
  • the end of the police search was the discovery of a corpse
  • the murderer confessed that he threw the stiff in the river
  • honor comes to bless the turf that wraps their clay

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cadaver, corpse, stiff, remains

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: body, dead body

Narrower terms: cremains

27

noun

Meaning 27

United States politician responsible for the Missouri Compromise between free and slave states (1777-1852)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: politician, politico, pol, political leader

28

noun

Meaning 28

United States general who commanded United States forces in Europe from 1945 to 1949 and who oversaw the Berlin airlift (1897-1978)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Lucius Clay, Lucius DuBignon Clay

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: general, full general

29

noun

Meaning 29

a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: soil, dirt

Narrower terms: adobe, argil, china clay, china stone, kaolin, kaoline, porcelain clay, terra alba, red clay, pipeclay, bentonite, fireclay, Kitty Litter, potter's clay, potter's earth, daub

30

noun

Meaning 30

water soaked soil; soft wet earth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mud

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: soil, dirt

Narrower terms: bleaching clay, bleaching earth, mud pie, slop, mire

History

Etymology

From a Middle English occupational name for a clay worker, or a habitational name, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”).

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gleyH- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *gloyHós Proto-Germanic *klajjaz Proto-West Germanic *klaij Old English clǣġ Middle English cley English clay From Middle English cley, clay, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaij, from Proto-Germanic *klajjaz (“clay”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *gleyH- (“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.

Across languages

Translations

257 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Aghwan: 𐕆𐕒𐔾 (hol) — mineral substance
  • Ainu: ヌンペネトイ (núnpenetoy) — mineral substance
  • Akkadian: 𒅎 — mineral substance
  • Albanian: lismë — mineral substance
  • Albanian: argjilë — mineral substance
  • Albanian: deltinë — mineral substance
  • Northern Altai: той палаш (toy palaš) — mineral substance
  • Southern Altai: той (toy) — mineral substance
  • Southern Altai: балчык (balčïk) — mineral substance
  • Amharic: ሸክላ (šäkla) — mineral substance
  • Arabic: طِين (ṭīn) — mineral substance
  • Arabic: صَلْصَال (ṣalṣāl) — mineral substance
  • Aragonese: archila — mineral substance
  • Armenian: կավ (kav) — mineral substance
  • Aromanian: lut — mineral substance
  • Assamese: পংক (poṅko) — mineral substance
  • Asturian: arciella — mineral substance
  • Aymara: llink'i laq'a — mineral substance
  • Azerbaijani: gil — mineral substance
  • Bashkir: балсыҡ (balsıq) — mineral substance
  • Basque: buztin — mineral substance
  • Belarusian: глі́на (hlína) — mineral substance
  • Bengali: মৃত্তিকা (mrittika) — mineral substance
  • Eastern Bontoc: pora — mineral substance
  • Eastern Bontoc: oknet — mineral substance
  • Eastern Bontoc: loyloy — mineral substance
  • Bulgarian: гли́на (glína) — mineral substance
  • Burmese: ရွှံ့ (hrwam.) — mineral substance
  • Buryat: шабар (šabar) — mineral substance
  • Carpathian Rusyn: гли́на (hlýna) — mineral substance
  • Catalan: argila — mineral substance
  • Catalan: fang — mineral substance
  • Cherokee: ᎦᏓᏆᎵ (gadaquali) — mineral substance
  • Cherokee: ᎦᏓᏆᎳ (gadaquala) — mineral substance
  • Chinese Cantonese: 黏土 (nim1 tou2) — mineral substance
  • Chinese: 黏土 (liâm-thô͘) — mineral substance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 黏土 (niántǔ) — mineral substance
  • Chuvash: тӑм (tăm) — mineral substance
  • West Circassian: етӏагъу (jetʼağwu) — mineral substance
  • Crimean Tatar: balçıq — mineral substance
  • Czech: jíl — mineral substance
  • Czech: hlína — mineral substance
  • Danish: ler — mineral substance
  • Dutch: klei — mineral substance
  • Ifè: amà — mineral substance
  • Esperanto: argilo — mineral substance
  • Estonian: savi — mineral substance
  • Ewe: anyi — mineral substance
  • Faroese: leir — mineral substance
  • Finnish: savi — mineral substance
  • Fon: kò — mineral substance
  • French: argile — mineral substance
  • French: glaise — mineral substance
  • Galician: arxila — mineral substance
  • Galician: lar — mineral substance
  • Galician: xarzo — mineral substance
  • Galician: toba — mineral substance
  • Galician: xiz — mineral substance
  • Galician: greda — mineral substance
  • Gallurese: alzidda — mineral substance
  • Gallurese: caccavina — mineral substance
  • Gallurese: lugiàna — mineral substance
  • Georgian: თიხა (tixa) — mineral substance
  • German: Lehm — mineral substance
  • German: Ton — mineral substance
  • German: Doon — mineral substance
  • Gothic: 𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍉 (þāhō) — mineral substance
  • Greek: άργιλος (árgilos) — mineral substance
  • Greek: πηλός (pilós) — mineral substance
  • Ancient Greek: πηλός (pēlós) — mineral substance
  • Ancient Greek: ἄργιλλος (árgillos) — mineral substance
  • Gun: okò — mineral substance
  • Gun: kò — mineral substance
  • Haitian Creole: ajil — mineral substance
  • Hawaiian: pālolo — mineral substance
  • Hawaiian: lepo kāwili — mineral substance
  • Hawaiian: lepo mānoanoa — mineral substance
  • Hawaiian: lepo ʻūlikalika — mineral substance
  • Hebrew: חומר \ חֹמֶר (khómer) — mineral substance
  • Hebrew: טִיט (tít) — mineral substance
  • Hebrew: חֶרֶס (khéres) — mineral substance
  • Hindi: मृत्तिका (mŕttikā) — mineral substance
  • Hindi: चिकनी मिट्टी (ciknī miṭṭī) — mineral substance
  • Hungarian: agyag — mineral substance
  • Icelandic: leir — mineral substance
  • Ido: argilo — mineral substance
  • Tuwali Ifugao: pula — mineral substance
  • Ilocano: pila — mineral substance
  • Indonesian: tanah liat — mineral substance
  • Irish: cré — mineral substance
  • Old Irish: cré — mineral substance
  • Italian: argilla — mineral substance
  • Italian: creta — mineral substance
  • Itsekiri: amà — mineral substance
  • Japanese: 粘土 (nendo) — mineral substance
  • Javanese: lempung — mineral substance
  • Jeju: ᄎᆞᆫ흑 (chawnheuk) — mineral substance
  • Kabuverdianu: baru — mineral substance
  • Kabuverdianu: bórre — mineral substance
  • Lubuagan Kalinga: chiyulit — mineral substance
  • Southern Kalinga: pita — mineral substance
  • Kalmyk: шавр (şavr) — mineral substance
  • Kannada: ಸೀರು (sīru) — mineral substance
  • Kannada: ಕಂಪ (kampa) — mineral substance
  • Kannada: ಆವೆ (āve) — mineral substance
  • Kannada: ಅಡುಸು (aḍusu) — mineral substance
  • Kannada: ಜೇಡಿ (jēḍi) — mineral substance
  • Kannada: ಚೇಡಿ (cēḍi) — mineral substance
  • Kashubian: glëna — mineral substance
  • Kazakh: балшық (balşyq) — mineral substance
  • Khmer: ដីឥដ្ឋ (dəy ʼət) — mineral substance
  • Komi-Zyrian: сёй (śoj) — mineral substance
  • Korean: 찰흙 (chalheuk) — mineral substance
  • Korean: 점토 (jeomto) — mineral substance
  • Central Kurdish: گڵ (gill) — mineral substance
  • Northern Kurdish: kaxçîn — mineral substance
  • Kyrgyz: ылай (ılay) — mineral substance
  • Kyrgyz: чопо (copo) — mineral substance
  • Kyrgyz: топурак (topurak) — mineral substance
  • Ladino: barro — mineral substance
  • Lao: ດິນເຜົາ (din phao) — mineral substance
  • Latin: argilla — mineral substance
  • Latin: lutum — mineral substance
  • Latvian: māls — mineral substance
  • Latvian: zeme — mineral substance
  • Limburgish: klèè — mineral substance
  • Limburgish: klei — mineral substance
  • Lithuanian: molis — mineral substance
  • Lokono: waya — mineral substance
  • Lombard: terra crea — mineral substance
  • Low German: Klei — mineral substance
  • Luxembourgish: Leem — mineral substance
  • Macedonian: глина (glina) — mineral substance
  • Malagasy: feta — mineral substance
  • Malay: tanah liat — mineral substance
  • Malay: lempung — mineral substance
  • Malayalam: കളിമണ്ണ് (kaḷimaṇṇŭ) — mineral substance
  • Maltese: tafal — mineral substance
  • Northern Mansi: ра̄кт (rākt) — mineral substance
  • Manx: cray — mineral substance
  • Māori: uku — mineral substance
  • Māori: oneuku — mineral substance
  • Māori: aumoana — mineral substance
  • Māori: taioma — mineral substance
  • Māori: keretā — mineral substance
  • Māori: keretū — mineral substance
  • Marathi: चिकणमाती (cikaṇmātī) — mineral substance
  • Marathi: माती (mātī) — mineral substance
  • Eastern Mari: шун (šun) — mineral substance
  • Western Mari: шун (šun) — mineral substance
  • Mongolian: шавар (šavar) — mineral substance
  • Mongolian: лаг (lag) — mineral substance
  • Mongolian: шороо (šoroo) — mineral substance
  • Navajo: hashtłʼish dootłʼizhí — mineral substance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: leire — mineral substance
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: leire — mineral substance
  • Occitan: argila — mineral substance
  • Odia: ମାଟି (māṭi) — mineral substance
  • Old East Slavic: глина (glina) — mineral substance
  • Old English: clǣġ — mineral substance
  • Oromo: suphee — mineral substance
  • Pashto: رست (rost) — mineral substance
  • Dari: گِل (gil) — mineral substance
  • Dari: رُس (rus) — mineral substance
  • Iranian Persian: گِل (gel) — mineral substance
  • Iranian Persian: رُس (ros) — mineral substance
  • Iranian Persian: گِلِ رُس (gel-e ros) — mineral substance
  • Iranian Persian: خاکِ رُس (xâk-e ros) — mineral substance
  • Polabian: glaino — mineral substance
  • Polish: glina — mineral substance
  • Portuguese: argila — mineral substance
  • Punjabi: ਮਿੱਟੀ (miṭṭī) — mineral substance
  • Quechua: ch'aqu — mineral substance
  • Romanian: argilă — mineral substance
  • Romanian: lut — mineral substance
  • Romanian: hlei — mineral substance
  • Russian: гли́на (glína) — mineral substance
  • Saanich: SÍEK — mineral substance
  • Samoan: ele — mineral substance
  • Sanskrit: मृत्तिका (mṛttikā) — mineral substance
  • Campidanese Sardinian: tuvulu — mineral substance
  • Campidanese Sardinian: tùvula — mineral substance
  • Sardinian: lassèdu — mineral substance
  • Sardinian: tuvulu — mineral substance
  • Sardinian: luzàna — mineral substance
  • Sassarese: luzàna — mineral substance
  • Sassarese: terrasanta — mineral substance
  • Scottish Gaelic: crèadh — mineral substance
  • Serbo-Croatian: гли́на — mineral substance
  • Serbo-Croatian: glína — mineral substance
  • Shona: dhaga — mineral substance
  • Sicilian: argilla — mineral substance
  • Sinhalese: මැටි (mæṭi) — mineral substance
  • Slovak: hlina — mineral substance
  • Slovene: glína — mineral substance
  • Somali: dhoobo — mineral substance
  • Lower Sorbian: glina — mineral substance
  • Upper Sorbian: hlina — mineral substance
  • Spanish: arcilla — mineral substance
  • Spanish: barro — mineral substance
  • Spanish: argilla — mineral substance
  • Spanish: alfar — mineral substance
  • Spanish: greda — mineral substance
  • Spanish: buro — mineral substance
  • Spanish: caolín — mineral substance
  • Swazi: lubumba — mineral substance
  • Swedish: lera — mineral substance
  • Tagalog: arsilya — mineral substance
  • Tagalog: luwad — mineral substance
  • Tajik: гил (gil) — mineral substance
  • Tajik: лой (loy) — mineral substance
  • Tamil: களிமண் (kaḷimaṇ) — mineral substance
  • Tamil: களி (kaḷi) — mineral substance
  • Tarifit: traxt — mineral substance
  • Tatar: балчык (balçıq) — mineral substance
  • Telugu: బంకమన్ను (baṅkamannu) — mineral substance
  • Thai: ดินเหนียว (din-nǐao) — mineral substance
  • Thai: ดินนวล (din-nuuan) — mineral substance
  • Tibetan: རྫ (rdza) — mineral substance
  • Turkish: kil — mineral substance
  • Ottoman Turkish: بالچق (balçık) — mineral substance
  • Ottoman Turkish: چامور (çamur) — mineral substance
  • Turkmen: laý — mineral substance
  • Turkmen: palçyk — mineral substance
  • Tuvan: пор (por) — mineral substance
  • Udmurt: сюй (śuj) — mineral substance
  • Ukrainian: гли́на (hlýna) — mineral substance
  • Urdu: سِفال (sifāl) — mineral substance
  • Urdu: مِٹِّی (miṭṭī) — mineral substance
  • Urdu: گِل (gil) — mineral substance
  • Uyghur: سېغىز توپا (sëghiz topa) — mineral substance
  • Uzbek: gil — mineral substance
  • Uzbek: loy — mineral substance
  • Uzbek: tuproq — mineral substance
  • Venetan: crèa — mineral substance
  • Veps: savi — mineral substance
  • Vietnamese: đất sét — mineral substance
  • Vietnamese: sét — mineral substance
  • Vilamovian: łām — mineral substance
  • Volapük: taim — mineral substance
  • Võro: savi — mineral substance
  • Votic: savi — mineral substance
  • Welsh: clai — mineral substance
  • Woiwurrung: bigoorn — mineral substance
  • Yakut: туой (tuoy) — mineral substance
  • Yiddish: ליים (leym) — mineral substance
  • Yoruba: amọ̀ — mineral substance
  • Bulgarian: корт (kort) — tennis court surface
  • Catalan: argila — tennis court surface
  • Danish: grus — tennis court surface
  • French: terre battue — tennis court surface
  • German: Asche — tennis court surface
  • Greek: άργιλος (árgilos) — tennis court surface
  • Portuguese: saibro — tennis court surface
  • Spanish: arcilla — tennis court surface
  • Swedish: grus — tennis court surface
  • Vietnamese: đất nện — tennis court surface