clayey

or clay·ish

[ kley-ee ]

adjective

, clay·i·er, clay·i·est.

1. covered or smeared with clay.
2. like or resembling clay.
3. full of or abounding in clay.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clayey¹

before 1050; Middle English cleii, Old English clǣig; clay, -ey ¹

Example Sentences

The ground was black and clayey and riddled with hundreds of slate arrow points, as if from a prehistoric drive-by shooting.

From New York Times

It was a barbarous thing, a blind clayey hole with folding chairs for the family teetering on one side and raw dirt heaped on the other.

From Literature

And Aster alpinus chimes in: “My ancestors hailed from above the timber line — you know, like, the Alps. I won’t appreciate some sodden, clayey spot in your garden.”

From New York Times

His art room’s got a clayey smell, for some reason.

From Literature

“That’s why organic matter is the perfect ingredient, whether your soil is sandy or clayey,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times