Where does “clay” come from?

Clay derives from Middle English cley, from Old English clǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic klaij, from Proto-Germanic klajjaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱley-.

clay (English): A mineral substance made up of small crystals of...

Definitions

  1. A mineral substance made up of small crystals of...

Ancestry of “clay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcleyclay, plaster, or earth like clay; Any earth or...
2Old Englishclǣġclay
3Proto-West Germanicklaijclay
4Proto-Germanicklajjazclay
5Proto-Indo-European*gley-—

Words derived from “clay”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *gley- →