Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cleam

/klim/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
cleam
IPA
/klim/
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To smear, rub on, or anoint; to bedaub with an oily or sticky substance.

Transitive verb

verb

To cause to stick; to glue on.

Transitive verb

verb

To stick, cling to, or adhere.

Intransitive verb

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”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /klim/
  • British English: /kliːm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

cleams (present, singular) cleaming (participle, present) cleamed (participle, past) cleamed (past) clame (alternative) claim (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

clam clammy clay cloam

Questions

How do you pronounce cleam?
The recorded pronunciation is /klim/.
What does cleam mean?
To smear, rub on, or anoint; to bedaub with an oily or sticky substance.
Where does cleam come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce cleam

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cleam”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/klim/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cleam”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cleam” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.