[Fr.] A mass of clay which is converted into building material by burning. The clay is dug up, exposed to the air and frost, and kneaded or mixed with water until it is a thick paste, and then moulded into bricks, which are called green or raw bricks. A brick-making machine will turn out from twenty to thirty thousand green bricks a day. These are burned in large ovens or kilns. The color of bricks depends on the proportion of iron they contain; red bricks have much iron, and cream bricks have little iron in them. Terra-cotta is a very fine clay of a delicate red color, made into bricks, urns, and statues. Bricks are used for buildings of all kinds, and are cemented by mortar made of sand and lime.