Clammy Meaning
/ˈklæmi/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjCold and damp, usually referring to hands or palms.
adjThe quality of normal skin signs, epidermis that is neither diaphoretic nor dry.
Sentence Examples
As I stepped outside, the air felt clammy.
Nobody enjoys a clammy handshake.
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ hands left damp marks on the polished tabletop.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His hands felt very ____ because he was nervous about the test.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English clam (“viscous, sticky; slimy”) + -y, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Compare German klamm (“clammy”) and klemmen (“to be stuck, stick”). See also clam.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The cause is a temperate conglutination ; for both bodies are clammy and viscous , and do bridle the deflux of humours to the hurts , without penning them in too much"
— 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “VII. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
"Then he could see the modest bookseller, somewhat clammy in his extremities and lost within his academic robe and hood, nervously fidgeting his mortar-board, haled forward by ushers, and tottering rubescent before the chancellor, provost, president (or whoever it might be) who hands out the diploma."
— 1919, Christopher Morley, “Again the Narrative is Retarded”, in The Haunted Bookshop, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 171:
"Jenny Lee reached out and took hold of the man’s hand. It was cold and clammy, a deadlike feeling."
— 2010 December 26, Sharon Orsack, “Chapter One”, in Bobby & Me: A Novel, Tate Publishing & Enterprises, →ISBN, page 9:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ hands left damp marks on the polished tabletop.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His hands felt very ____ because he was nervous about the test.