Where does “claye” come from?

claye (Middle English) comes from Old English clǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic klaij, from Proto-Germanic klajjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gley-.

Ancestry of “claye”, step by step

claye traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English clǣġ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishclǣġclay
2Proto-West Germanicklaijclay
3Proto-Germanicklajjazclay
4Proto-Indo-European*gley-—

via Old French cloie

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchcloiehurdle (type of fence)
2Old Occitancleda—
3Late Latinclēta—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *gley- →Every word from Proto-Germanic klajjaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic klaij →