*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of gley

1920s, from Ukrainian ґлей (glej, “clayey soil”), from Proto-Slavic *glьjь, from Proto-Indo-European *gl̥h₁y-ó-s, from Proto-Indo-European *gleh₁y-. Cognate of clay.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A type of hydric soil, sticky, greenish-blue-grey in colour and low in oxygen.

verb

To be converted into this kind of soil.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

1920s, from Ukrainian ґлей (glej, “clayey soil”), from Proto-Slavic *glьjь, from Proto-Indo-European *gl̥h₁y-ó-s, from Proto-Indo-European *gleh₁y-. Cognate of clay.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "uk",
        "3": "ґлей",
        "4": "",
        "5": "clayey soil"
      },
      "expansion": "Ukrainian ґлей (glej, “clayey soil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sla-pro",
        "3": "*glьjь"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Slavic *glьjь"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gl̥h₁y-ó-s"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gl̥h₁y-ó-s"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gleh₁y-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gleh₁y-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ґлей",
      "ґлей#Ukrainian"
    ],
    [
      "*glьjь",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/glьjь"
    ],
    [
      "*gl̥h₁y-ó-s",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gl̥h₁y-ó-s"
    ],
    [
      "*gleh₁y-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gleh₁y-"
    ],
    [
      "clay",
      "clay#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A type of hydric soil, sticky, greenish-blue-grey in colour and low in oxygen."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1557913
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To be converted into this kind of soil."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e4cb2c0cc1f39b96282580d32c967d629e6b40a353ca13c7d9dbb71c0ac52b45",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1557914
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To squint; to look obliquely; to overlook things.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Scots.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sco:-",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"lang_name\" : \"Scots\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"sco\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"gley\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"gley\">\nBorrowed from Scots."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sco:-",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Scots."
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To squint; to look obliquely; to overlook things."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for gley →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Z2xleQ