ceramics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the art or technology of making objects of clay and similar materials treated by firing.
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(used with a plural verb) articles of earthenware, porcelain, etc.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ceramics
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Explanation
The branch of art known as ceramics is all about making pottery. A ceramics class might teach you to make a bowl from clay using a pottery wheel. In ceramics, artists pinch cups and figures from clay, and create bowls, plates, and pots by spinning and shaping the clay on a wheel. Most of these items — which can also be called ceramics — are glazed or painted, and baked in an extremely hot oven. The word ceramics comes from the Greek word keramos, "potter's clay," or "tiles."
Vocabulary lists containing ceramics
Visual Arts - Introductory
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Visual Arts - High School
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Visual Arts - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The cooling ceramic's ingenuity lies in its ability to achieve multiple functionalities through simple fabrication and manipulation.
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2024
Fired at higher temperatures and forged from finer, denser clay, porcelain is ceramic’s high-performance counterpart.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2023
Kupava says she is drawn to ceramic’s endurance.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 13, 2022
He notes that the ceramic’s starting materials aren’t particularly expensive or toxic, making it more likely to see widespread use.
From Science Magazine • Jan. 6, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
