majolica

American  

[muh-jol-i-kuh, muh-yol-] / məˈdʒɒl ɪ kə, məˈyɒl- /

noun

1. Italian earthenware covered with an opaque glaze of tin oxide and usually highly decorated.

2. any earthenware having an opaque glaze of tin oxide.

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majolica British  

/ məˈdʒɒlɪkə, məˈjɒl- /

noun

1. a type of porous pottery glazed with bright metallic oxides that was originally imported into Italy via Majorca and was extensively made in Italy during the Renaissance

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Etymology

Origin of majolica

1545–55; ear-lier maiolica < Italian < Medieval Latin, variant of Late Latin Mājorica Majorca, where it was made

Example Sentences

Brent Poer and Beau Quillian’s historic home is an exuberant collage of Hermès plates, Black Forest antlers, Staffordshire porcelain figurines, majolica plates and art that has been lovingly curated.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Her technique is the centuries-old majolica, in which she fires her creatures and then dips them in a tin oxide glazing solution that lends an opaque white finish.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2021

“Dora De Larios: Other Worlds” will gather works from throughout her career — sculptures, mosaics and functional tableware, including a set of majolica dishes she created for the White House in 1977.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2018

Several clients were wearing dresses with majolica patterns, which figured not only in last year’s Alta Moda collection but also in this summer’s ready-to-wear.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 21, 2015

Although sgraffito ware represented a degree of richness and dramatic color, it did not match the elegance of contemporary majolica, decorated after the manner of Chinese porcelain.

From North Devon Pottery and Its Export to America in the 17th Century by Watkins, C. Malcolm