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clay

clay

1 9.9
The human body in old writing, usually a dead body
  • noun
  • /kleɪ/
  • Archaic
: barro (arcaico, literario)
  • Then God forms Adam out of clay and breathes life into him.

And if you look around, we live in these cages of clay.

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Examples

  • We're all made of the same clay, you know!

  • The angels, which have no sex, are made of light, whereas humans are created from clay...

    Academic text (2000)
  • "In the beginning, God gave to every people a cup of clay... "

  • In the cold clay of the grave, your memories will be lost.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Adam, whose name means clay was not baked in a kiln.

  • Are you merely a piece of clay to be molded by other imperfect human hands?

    Blog text (26)
  • To them, the sight of God's alter image rising from dust and clay brings no delight; in fact, they sulk.

    Academic text (1992)
  • We are no more devised from insensate clay than is an herb blossoming out of mud.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Our bodies are made from the same clay that will eventually return to the earth.

  • In the poem, the author reflects on how our mortal forms are merely temporary vessels of clay.

Synonyms

corpse
vsclay
348 4.9

A dead body of a person

is the archaic literary term rather than the neutral everyday word
remains
vsclay
  • Formal
237 6.0

The body parts left after a person has died

is used archaically in general writing not specifically for burial
cadaver
vsclay
  • Specialized
51 8.2

A dead human body used for medical study or teaching

is the archaic literary term used generally rather than a medical technical label
stiff
vsclay
  • Slang
9 9.1

A dead body of a person

is the archaic literary word rather than a coarse informal expression
lich
vsclay
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A dead body often mentioned in old stories or books

is the same meaning but is an alternate archaic spelling
litch
vsclay
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A dead body mentioned in old stories or poems

is the same meaning but uses a different archaic word form

Compounds

6 2.4

Soil that is red from iron and becomes sticky when wet

3 6.6

A small flat disc people shoot in the air as a target in shooting sports like skeet

A work of art made by shaping clay, like a figure or pot

1 4.4

A small pipe for smoking tobacco made from baked clay

Soft natural clay used to make pots like bowls and vases before heating

porcelain clay
  • Specialized
1 6.7

Fine white clay used to make porcelain and other ceramics

1 4.6

A fine white powder from the ground used for pottery and paper

sedimentary clay
  • Specialized
1 5.6

Small rock and plant pieces settle and press into soft earth after they are moved by water, wind or ice

1 7.9

A heavy mix of clay, sand, and large stones left by glaciers

A small bird with dull brown-gray feathers that lives in Mexico and Central America

bleaching clay
  • Specialized
7.8

A clay that removes colour from vegetable oil to make it clear

indurated clay
  • Specialized
8.1

Soil made of clay that becomes hard from drying, heat, or chemicals

residual clay
  • Specialized
7.7

Soil made mostly of clay that stays after rain and wind wash away other rock parts

Surface Forms

clay singular
clays plural

Etymology

Clay was also used to mean a person's body because people long ago said humans were 'made from clay'. A helpful way to remember this older use is to picture the body as the 'earthy' thing left in the ground, which is why poets called a dead body 'clay'.