gley
/ɡlaɪ/
noun
- A type of sticky, bluish-gray clay soil that forms in wet conditions with poor drainage, often found in bogs or marshes.
- The farmer had to drain the field because the gley made it too waterlogged for crops.
- Scientists studied the gley to understand how ancient wetlands preserved fossils.
- Hikers avoided the path after rain, as the gley turned into slippery mud.
verb
- To become sticky and waterlogged, like gley soil; to turn into a wet, clay-like mud.
- If you leave the clay out in the rain, it will gley and become unusable for pottery.
- The construction site gleyed quickly, forcing workers to lay gravel for traction.
- After days of heavy rain, the dirt path began to gley, making it hard to walk.