cleam

English

Alternative forms

• clame, claim

Etymology

From Middle English clemen, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, anoint”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaimijan, from Proto-Germanic *klaimijaną (“to smear with clay, mortar”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to stick, glue”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kliːm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /klim/

Verb

cleam (third-person singular simple present cleams, present participle cleaming, simple past and past participle cleamed)

1. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To smear, rub on, or anoint; to bedaub with an oily or sticky substance.
2. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To cause to stick; to glue on.
3. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To stick, cling to, or adhere.

Related terms

• clam
• clammy
• clay
• cloam