celadon

American  

[sel-uh-don, -dn] / ˈsɛl əˌdɒn, -dn /

noun

1. any of several Chinese porcelains having a translucent, pale green glaze.

2. any porcelain imitating these.

3. a pale gray-green.

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adjective

1. having the color celadon.

celadon British  

/ ˈsɛləˌdɒn /

noun

1. a type of porcelain having a greyish-green glaze: mainly Chinese

2. a pale greyish-green colour, sometimes somewhat yellow

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Etymology

Origin of celadon

First recorded in 1760–70; named after Céladon, name of a character in L' Astrée, a tale by Honoré d'Urfé (1568–1625), French writer

Explanation

Celadon is a soft, grayish green color. It's also the name of a kind of pottery that has a celadon-colored glaze. The word celadon was coined to describe the pale jade glaze, which is often deliberately scattered with fine cracks. It comes from a character in a 17th-century French romantic novel, a shepherd and sentimental hero named Céladon who is described as wearing green clothing. Celadon pottery is still popular today, and so is the color; you can find clothing, wall paint, and nail polish in celadon.

Example Sentences

Upstairs, the exhibition highlights 19th-century innovations, including the introduction of colored porcelain in celadon, and enameled, painted and gilded pieces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

Behind him, a young servant arrives with a snack, while books and a celadon vase have been laid out for study on a nearby table.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2023

Inside, she painted the apartment’s walls and woodwork a celadon green, offsetting the black-and-white checkerboard marble floors.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2021

Rowhouses lining streets nearby the main artery of Eighth Street SE splash celadon, gray and green across the urban landscape.

From Washington Post • Jan. 31, 2018

Perhaps ashes had once fallen on a plain-glazed vase in the kiln and resulted in patches of the clear celadon color.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park