Where does “nonclay” come from?
nonclay (English) comes from English clay, from Middle English cley, from Old English clǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic klaij, from Proto-Germanic klajjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gley-.
nonclay (English): That is not clay
Ancestry of “nonclay”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | clay | A mineral substance made up of small crystals of... |
| 2 | Middle English | cley | clay, plaster, or earth like clay; Any earth or... |
| 3 | Old English | clǣġ | clay |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | klaij | clay |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klajjaz | clay |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | *gley- | — |