▪ I. cleam, cleme, v. Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: 1 clǽman, [2 iclemen], 4–5 cleme, (4 clemme). Mod. dial. 8–9 cleam, clame, claim, clem.
[OE. clǽman, corresp. to MDu. kleemen, clêmen, OHG. chleimen, ON. kleima, to daub, plaster, fashion in clay:—OTeut. *klaimjan, f. klaimo-, in OE. clám ‘cloam’, potter's clay, mud. (OE. had also the comp. ᵹeclǽman, in early ME. iclêmen.) Supplanted in southern use in 14–15th c. by clam. But cleam is retained in some Yorksh. dial., and the clame, claim, of adjacent dialects, are apparently archaic pronunciations of cleam.]
1. trans. To smear, anoint, bedaub, plaster; to rub, or daub (sticky matter) on, or (a place) with sticky matter.
| [a 1000 Thorpe Hom. I. 20 Geclæm ealle ða seamas mid tyrwan. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 225 Iclem hall þ[e] seames mid tirwan.] c 1000 ælfric Gram. xxviii. (Z.) 165 Lino, ic clæme. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 110 Clæm on ðone cancer, ne do nan wæter to. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 312 Make to þe a mancioun..þenne clemme hit with clay comly withinne. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 93 Crist clemed [v.r. clammyde] cley on his eyen. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 125 Cleme uppon the wounde oxe dounge aboute. 1671 J. Webster Metallogr. iii. 50 The Cream of Milk, which may be clamed or spread as Butter. 1788 W. Marshall E. Yorksh. Gloss. (E.D.S.) Clame, to daub..to spread unctuous matter; as salve on a plaster, butter on bread. 1855 Robinson Whitby Gloss., Clame, to spread or smear on a surface, as lime..or butter. 1877 Holderness Gloss. (E.D.S.), Claim. 1883 Huddersfield Gloss. (E.D.S.) s.v. Cleam..‘Cleam me a buttershaave’, spread me a slice of bread and butter. 1884 Cheshire Gloss., Clamme or clame. |
b. intr. To adhere, stick to.
| 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (1856) 107 If they should ramme it [a clay floor] presently it would cleame to the beater. |
2. trans. To agglutinate, cause to stick, clag with glutinous matter; to stick up, together, etc.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xliii. 27 [xliv. 25] Clemyd is in erthe oure wambe. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. lxvi. (1495) 185 Of clemyng of humour that is there. Ibid. xix. lxxiii. 903 Butter is kyndely hote: clemynge and fatte. 1674 Ray N. Country Wds. 10 To Cleam..in Lincolnshire..to glue together, to fasten with glue. 1755 Johnson Dict., Clamm..in some provinces to cleam [1818 Todd (adds) written also sometimes clem], to clog with any glutinous matter. 1855 Robinson Whitby Gloss., To clame, to stick, to cause to adhere, as paper against a wall; clamed up, advertised or posted. 1883 Huddersfield Gloss. (E.D.S.), Cleam..‘the wind was so strong that it cleam'd me to the wall’. |
▪ II. cleam(e
obs. f. claim.