Pryan (also prian) (noun)
pry-an
(dialect British, South West English Mining) Soft white gravelly clay.
Mid 17th century. Apparently from Cornish pry clay (Middle Cornish pry; cognate with Welsh pridd soil, earth, Early Irish cré soil, earth, clay (Irish cré), further etymology uncertain, perhaps related to classical Latin crēta chalk) + a suffix of uncertain origin, perhaps -en, although this usually forms adjectives.
Example sentences
“The pryan exposed on the gravelly hilltops.”
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