Where does “cley” come from?

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

cley (Middle English): clay, plaster, or earth like clay; Any earth or...

Definitions

  1. clay, plaster, or earth like clay; Any earth or...

Ancestry of “cley”, step by step

cley 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—

Words derived from “cley”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *gley- →Every word from Proto-Germanic klajjaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic klaij →