gley

American  

[gley] / gleɪ /

noun

Geology.

1. a mottled soil in which iron compounds have been oxidized and reduced by intermittent water saturation.

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gley British  

/ ɡleɪ /

noun

1. a bluish-grey compact sticky soil occurring in certain humid regions

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Etymology

Origin of gley

1925–30; < Ukrainian gleĭ clayey earth; cognate with Byelorussian, Russian dialect gleĭ, Serbo-Croatian glêj; akin to clay

Example Sentences

And here—though maybe it was just my thought—the body stroked his chin, and gave me a kind of half gley, p. 120as much as saying, “take that to ye, neighbour.”

From The Life of Mansie Wauch Tailor in Dalkeith, written by himself by Moir, David Macbeth

Princie, as he ca'd him, ga'e a gley roond wi' the white o' his e'e that garred Sandy keep a gude yaird clear o' him.

From My Man Sandy by Salmond, J. B.

"It may be so, my good Sir Joseph, it may be so, and yet, even when I am most hopeful of success, my schemes go a gley."

From Sentimental Tommy The Story of His Boyhood by Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew)

Undoubtedly a Scand. loan-word, i>ei as in gleit, gley.

From Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch by Flom, George Tobias

"Weel," he added, "ye maunna gley asklent at the mere whan she comes hame some saipy-like!"

From Salted with Fire by MacDonald, George