cley

C3L1E1Y4

noun

A claw.

OriginMiddle English cle ← Old English clēa →
RareScrabble 9
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Meanings

cley1

nouncley (plural cleys)

plural cleys

  1. obsoleteA claw.

    But that more heavy Birds are otherwise provided for defence, namely either by Spurs that grow on their Legs, or by the strength and sharpness of some single cley in their Foot; as I have observed in the Cassoware or Emeu

    1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book II, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 74

cley2

nouncley (plural cleys)

plural cleys

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of clay.

Cley3

proper noun
  1. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Cley next the Sea: a coastal village and civil parish in North Norfolk district, Norfolk, England (OS grid ref TG0443).

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
cley next the sea

Origin

cley · noun

  1. Old Englishclēa“claw”
  2. Middle Englishcle
  3. Englishcley

From Middle English cle, clea, from Old English clēa (“claw”) (where the oblique forms > English claw).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

cley · noun

  1. Old Englishclǣġ“clay”
  2. Middle Englishcley
  3. Englishcley

From Middle English cley, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cley

byimybuyhighywhyreplyjJulytryapplysupplyhieyeguyfidiflyskynearbykyspysi
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

cly

Anagrams

CelyLYCE
Cite this entry
APA

cley. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cley

MLA

“cley.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cley. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cley,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cley.

Source: cley on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.