Plural of gley; multiple soils formed under waterlogged conditions with characteristic gray or blue-gray coloring.
From Russian 'glei' (gluey mud), with the English plural suffix '-s'. The term is used extensively in soil science and geology.
Gleys cover about 5% of Earth's land surface, making them one of the most common soil types, yet most people have never heard of them—they're literally under our feet in marshes and wetlands!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.