kaolin

American  

[key-uh-lin] / ˈkeɪ ə lɪn /

Or kaoline

noun

1. a fine white clay used in the manufacture of porcelain.

---

kaolin British  

/ ˈkeɪəlɪn /

noun

1. Also called: china clay.   china stone.  a fine white clay used for the manufacture of hard-paste porcelain and bone china and in medicine as a poultice and gastrointestinal absorbent

---

Other Word Forms

• kaolinic adjective

Etymology

Origin of kaolin

1720–30; < French < Chinese (Wade-Giles) Kao1ling3, (pinyin) Gāolǐng mountain in Jiangxi province that yielded the first kaolin sent to Europe ( gāo high + lǐng hill)

Example Sentences

Collins, over at Washington State University, has been experimenting with spraying fine-powdered kaolin or bentonite, which are clays, mixed with water onto wine grapes so it absorbs materials that are in smoke.

From Washington Times • Sep. 28, 2023

When mixed with water and sprayed, the kaolin clay product creates a white particle film on foliage and fruit that confuses the insects.

From Seattle Times • May 27, 2020

Tourniquets are now standard issue in the U.S. military, along with hemostatic dressings—sterile gauze infused with kaolin, a clay that promotes swift blood clotting.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 1, 2019

When this recipe started to affect her asthma, she developed her own variation using white kaolin clay.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2018

How to Stipple a Window White or Yellow.—For white, mix a little dextrine and kaolin in water.

From The Evolution of Photography With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty Years by Werge, John

Related Words

• brick
• earth
• mud