faience

or fa·ïence

[ fahy-ahns, fey-; French fa-yahns ]

noun

glazed earthenware or pottery, especially a fine variety with highly colored designs.

Origin of faience

1705–15; <French, originally pottery of Faenza, city in northern Italy

Words that may be confused with faience

fiancé, fiancée, faience

Words Nearby faience

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use faience in a sentence

It contained an admirable collection of furniture, pictures, wood carvings, and faience.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar | Maurice Leblanc
He was a wizened little man with faience-blue eyes, and sat habitually hunched up with his hands folded across his shins.
The Dwelling Place of Light, Complete | Winston Churchill
True faience is made of a yellowish or ruddy earth, covered with an enamel which is usually white, but may be coloured.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia | Various
In fact the word faience is due to the avowed intention of the manufacturers of Nevers to copy the enameled pottery of Faenza.
The Potter's Craft | Charles F. Binns
An additional chapter deals with Copenhagen faience, which has qualities of its own appealing to connoisseurs.
Feminism and Sex-Extinction | Arabella Kenealy

British Dictionary definitions for faïence

faïence

/ (faɪˈɑːns, feɪ-) /

noun

- tin-glazed earthenware, usually that of French, German, Italian, or Scandinavian origin
- (as modifier): a faïence cup

Origin of faïence

C18: from French, strictly: pottery from Faenza

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

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