What makes a golem a golem?

Hey, goy who asked a stupid question about Judaism wrt their fiction again, asking potentially another one.

Specifically, I’ve heard folks talk about on Jumblr how they find the appropriation of the golem bad. But it seems generally to be that it’s less its use in fiction is the main problem, and more its genericization as a catch-all term for animate-inanimates in fantasy, which is understandable.

But, now I’m wondering, what would you say makes something a Golem, rather than just Sparkling Construct* (If I may be a bit glib)? Like, is it the creation via religion? The marginalization element? The elements of language? Does it have to be made of clay, or how distant from clay can the substance it’s made of be? Can it be made of plasticine? Epoxy putty? Cement? Insulation foam?

I also may as well ask, what works do you think have done Golems well? I’ve heard a fair bit of praise for Terry Pratchett’s use of them, and I may as well mention I’ve done my own 3d painting of one, playing on the heroic symbolism and elements of metafiction, and my Jewish friends seemed to dig it.

*Construct is basically D&D’s catch-all terms for those sorts of animate-inanimates, and a way better one than Golem IMO. Tho IDK if it makes up for D&D inadvertently spearheading that appropriation by using the term Golem as a catch-all label for multiple very different mythological creatures, but that’s its own discussion.