noun

1. 1. a firm, fine-grained earth, plastic when wet, composed chiefly of hydrous aluminum silicate minerals: it is produced by the chemical decomposition of rocks or the deposit of fine rock particles in water and is used in the manufacture of bricks, pottery, and other ceramics
   2. soil composed of mineral particles of very small size
2. 1. earth, esp. as a symbol of the material of the human body
   2. the human body

Etymology: ME clei < OE clæg < IE base *glei-, to stick together > clammy, Ger klei, mud, L glus, glue