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clam·my

(klămē)

adj. clam·mi·er, clam·mi·est

1. Disagreeably moist, sticky, and cold to the touch: a clammy handshake.

2. Damp and unpleasant: clammy weather.

3. Uneasy; apprehensive: The ghost town gave us a clammy feeling.

[Middle English, sticky, probably from clam (from Old English, mud, clay) or from Middle Low German klam, stickiness.]

clammi·ly adv.

clammi·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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