cleam means to smear, rub on, or anoint; to bedaub with an oily or sticky substance. It carries an Arena rating of 1724, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cleam ranks #214 of 13,217 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #866 of 13,217 for Most Vivid Words, #1,994 of 13,217 for The Improbable, #2,201 of 13,217 for Most Ingenious Words.
cleam is pronounced /kliːm/.
Why “cleam” is a great word
To smear, daub, or adhere with an oily or sticky substance. 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"). Unlike "smear," which suggests a careless application, or "glue," which denotes a synthetic bond, to cleam is a deliberate, often intimate act of contact. It is the hand spreading warm pine tar along a seam, the thumb anointing a lamb's forehead with oil, or the careful daubing of mortar to bed a stone—a humble, physical act of making one thing hold to another that consecrates as much as it connects.
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”).
verb
- To smear, rub on, or anoint; to bedaub with an oily or sticky substance.
- To cause to stick; to glue on.
- To stick, cling to, or adhere.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- unctuous 82% match — Having the nature or properties of an unguent or ointment; greasy, oily. vs cleam →
- anoint 82% match — To smear or rub over with oil or an unctuous substance; also, to spread over, as oil. vs cleam →
- glaur 81% match — Mud, slime, mire. vs cleam →
- sleech 81% match — Thick, soft mud that was left behind by flowing water, usually alongside riverbeds or shorelines. vs cleam →
- sweal 81% match — To burn slowly. vs cleam →
- begrime 81% match — To ingrain grime or dirt which is difficult to remove into (something); also (more generally), to make (something) dirty; to soil. vs cleam →
- blike 81% match — To shine; gleam. vs cleam →
- glaum 80% match — To grasp or snatch (at), usually feebly or ineffectually; to grope (at) with the hands, as in the dark. vs cleam →