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ceramics

[ suh-ram-iks ]
/ səˈræm ɪks /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ceramics ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(used with a singular verb) the art or technology of making objects of clay and similar materials treated by firing.
(used with a plural verb) articles of earthenware, porcelain, etc.

Words related to ceramics

wares, china, slipware, terracotta

Words nearby ceramics

ceramal, ceramic, ceramic engineering, ceramic hob, ceramic oxide, ceramics, ceramidase, ceramide, ceramist, cerargyrite, cerastes

Origin of ceramics

First recorded in 1855–60; see origin at ceramic, -ics

Definition for ceramics (2 of 2)

ceramic
[ suh-ram-ik ]
/ səˈræm ɪk /

adjective

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

noun

ceramic material.

Origin of ceramic

1840–50; variant of keramic < Greek keramikós, equivalent to kéram(os) potters' clay + -ikos -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for ceramics

British Dictionary definitions for ceramics (1 of 2)

ceramics
/ (sɪˈræmɪks) /

noun

(functioning as singular) the art and techniques of producing articles of clay, porcelain, etc

Derived forms of ceramics

ceramist (ˈsɛrəmɪst) or ceramicist, noun

British Dictionary definitions for ceramics (2 of 2)

ceramic
/ (sɪˈræmɪk) /

noun

a hard brittle material made by firing clay and similar substances
an object made from such a material

adjective

of, relating to, or made from a ceramicthis vase is ceramic
of or relating to ceramicsceramic arts and crafts

Word Origin for ceramic

C19: from Greek keramikos, from keramos potter's clay, pottery
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ceramics

ceramic
[ sə-răm′ĭk ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.