porcelain

[pawr-suh-lin, pohr-, pawrs-lin, pohrs-]

noun

1. a strong, vitreous, translucent ceramic material, biscuit-fired at a low temperature, the glaze then fired at a very high temperature.

2. ware made from this.

porcelain

/ ˈpɔːsə-, ˈpɔːslɪn, ˌpɔːsəˈleɪnɪəs, -leɪn /

noun

1. a more or less translucent ceramic material, the principal ingredients being kaolin and petuntse (hard paste) or other clays, ground glassy substances, soapstone, bone ash, etc

2. an object made of this or such objects collectively

3. (modifier) of, relating to, or made from this material

   a porcelain cup

Other Word Forms

• porcelaneous adjective
• porcellaneous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of porcelain¹

1520–30; < French porcelaine < Italian porcellana originally, a type of cowry shell, apparently likened to the vulva of a sow, noun use of feminine of porcellano of a young sow, equivalent to porcell ( a ), diminutive of porca sow ( pork, -elle ) + -ano -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of porcelain¹

C16: from French porcelaine, from Italian porcellana cowrie shell, porcelain (from its shell-like finish), literally: relating to a sow (from the resemblance between a cowrie shell and a sow's vulva), from porcella little sow, from porca sow, from Latin; see _pork

Example Sentences

It’s an onslaught of extravagant Rococo, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, modern and contemporary porcelain showpieces, gilded and in dazzling blues, turquoises, ochers and pinks—made for sovereigns, dignitaries, diplomats, heads of state and the wealthy elite.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Next to the mannequin is a small black vanity desk and mirror with makeup and porcelain wishbones filling the table’s surface.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Chan opens the wooden gate and ushers me into a sanctuary of his creation: a yard flanked by a tall tree, a worn picnic bench and a Chinese porcelain table and stools.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

David's lounge is a riot of colour – on the floor of his living room are porcelain figurines, hundreds of yellowed newspapers and, balanced across the back of his settee, several thousand Barbie dolls.

Read more on BBC

Three items were seized - a rare pomegranate vase; a doucai-style wine cup and a porcelain bowl - and had a combined insured value of £2.8m.

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Related Words

• ceramic 
• ceramics 
• enamel