clay

noun (clay — uncountable)

«clay» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

Clay is soft, sticky earth that you can shape with your hands and then bake or dry so it goes hard. tree →
Clay is used for pots, bricks, tiles and models. tree →
Clay soil is heavy soil that holds water. tree →

In the lessons

maths: a material shared or used to make things, often by weight (things = material ÷ amount per thing); art: modelling clay, pots in a kiln; science: clay soil holds water, bricks are baked clay; history: clay tablets and pots made long ago

Examples

She has 2 kg of clay. tree →
Each pot uses 300 g of clay. tree →
He made 6 clay bowls. tree →
How many pots from 3 pounds of clay? tree →
We made clay animals in art class. tree →
The pot is baked in a hot oven called a kiln. tree →
Bricks are made from clay. tree →
Clay soil gets sticky after rain. tree →

Note

Material ÷ amount per thing gives how many things. Trap: change kilograms to grams first (1 kg = 1000 g). Uncountable: «some clay», «a lump of clay», not «a clay».

In Jewish tradition

In Job and Daniel clay is a picture of what is weak and easily broken. Job calls proud memorials "eminences of clay," and Daniel's statue has feet part iron and part clay.

Interpretation. Sefer Yetzirah says God carved mud and clay from the first elements. Tradition also remembers that the first man was shaped from the earth. Daniel's statue is read as showing that great kingdoms, even strong ones, have weak parts and will fall.

Examples

And Wind is the first of them. [1:11] Three—He carved Water from Wind and with them He hewed tohu and bohu, [note 21: [Genesis 1:2]] mud and clay. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
„Witli 'three' God graved and hewed out mud and clay. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
Your memorials shall be like unto ashes, your eminences to eminences of clay. (Writings JOB.13.12, JPS 1917) tree →
its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay. (Writings DAN.2.33, JPS 1917) tree →
Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; (Writings JOB.27.16, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Material ÷ amount per thing gives how many things. Trap: change kilograms to grams first (1 kg = 1000 g). Uncountable: «some clay», «a lump of clay», not «a clay».

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «clay» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«clay» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
Trees and pragmatics of «clay» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«clay» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.

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