ceramic

[suh-ram-ik]

adjective

1. of or relating to products made from clay and similar materials, as pottery and brick, or to their manufacture.

   ceramic art.

noun

1. ceramic material.

ceramic

/ sɪˈræmɪk /

noun

1. a hard brittle material made by firing clay and similar substances

2. an object made from such a material

adjective

1. of, relating to, or made from a ceramic

   this vase is ceramic

2. of or relating to ceramics

   ceramic arts and crafts

ceramic

1. Any of various hard, brittle, heat- and corrosion-resistant materials made typically of metallic elements combined with oxygen or with carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur. Most ceramics are crystalline and are poor conductors of electricity, though some recently discovered copper-oxide ceramics are superconductors at low temperatures.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceramic¹

1840–50; variant of keramic < Greek keramikós, equivalent to kéram ( os ) potters' clay + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceramic¹

C19: from Greek keramikos, from keramos potter's clay, pottery

Example Sentences

Stainless steel or ceramic pans "are far safer", she said.

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This later phase included shell middens, dense ceramic refuse, and a sophisticated system of canals and raised fields connected to maize-based farming.

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It is decorated with thousands of blue and turquoise ceramic tiles and receives millions of visitors each year.

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The town’s souvenir shops have begun to sell basilica-themed magnets, ceramics and prayer plaques.

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Earlier this month, the Louvre announced the closure of a gallery showcasing Greek ceramics due to structural concerns.

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Related Words

• brick 
• earthenware 
• porcelain 
• stoneware 
• tile