clad
- 01 C1 Advanced
adj.wearing a particular type of clothing.
adj.clothed or dressed in a specified manner; typically used with an adverb or as part of a compound.
Simple“The hikers were clad in warm waterproof jackets to protect them from the rain.”
In context“The delegates arrived at the gala clad in traditional formal attire, creating a vibrant display of cultural heritage.”
UsageOften follows an adverb like 'suitably' or 'scantily'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
adj.covered or protected by a layer of something, like metal or stone.
adj.covered, enveloped, or protected by a specific outer layer or cladding.
Simple“The modern office building was clad in glass and steel.”
In context“The ancient fortress walls were clad in moss and ivy, hiding the weathered stone from the casual observer.”
UsageFrequently used in architectural and engineering contexts.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to put a protective or decorative layer on the outside of a building or object.
v.to apply a layer of material to the exterior of a structure for insulation, protection, or aesthetic purposes.
Simple“The workers began to clad the house with timber panels.”
In context“The design specifications required the contractor to clad the reactor core with a specialized lead alloy to ensure maximum radiation containment.”
UsageTakes a direct object; often used in the passive voice.
“Dry-humoured Lauren (performed by playwright Éimi Quinn) is the play’s millennial, fourth-wall-breaking narrator, clad in fishnets and bunny ears for a hen-do.”
“But we do hear how Hawking’s victory in a scientific bet was celebrated by making his opponents deliver lectures in T-shirts showing scantily clad women.”
From Middle English clad, cladde, cled(e), cledde, past tense and past participle forms of clethen (“(also figurative) to put clothing on, clothe, dress; to provide clothing to; to arm, equip; to cover, envelop; to conceal; to adorn”), from Old English clǣþan (past tense clǣþde, clædde), from Proto-West Germanic klaiþijan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gleh₁y-, gley- (“to adhere, cling, stick to”).
From Middle English clad(d), cladde, clade, past tense and past participle forms of clathen, clothen (“to put clothing on, clothe, dress”), from *clāþian (“to clothe”) (past participle ġeclāded, ġeclaþed, ġeclaþod), from clāþ, clǣþ (“cloth; (plural) clothes”); see further at etymology 1.
Apparently derived from clad (adjective); see etymology 2. Uses of clad as the simple past and past participle form of clad are indistinguishable from uses of the word as the simple past and past participle form of clothe.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.