porcelain

American  

[pawr-suh-lin, pohr-, pawrs-lin, pohrs-] / ˈpɔr sə lɪn, ˈpoʊr-, ˈpɔrs lɪn, ˈpoʊrs- /

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.

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porcelain British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• porcelaneous adjective
• porcellaneous adjective

Etymology

Origin of porcelain

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

Example Sentences

Officials at Sèvres - France's state-owned porcelain factory - also identified some of their items on online auction sites, including a plate embossed with an air force stamp and ashtrays.

From BBC

In August, the Los Angeles institution introduced one of its newer acquisitions—a turquoise Chinese-and-French porcelain cat—to TikTok with an International Cat Day post.

From The Wall Street Journal

After she was finished washing, she attached porcelain rollers to the tub.

From Literature

Few of the stolen works—including precious porcelain and gold crosses and statues—have been recovered.

From The Wall Street Journal

I may even break out my grandmother’s porcelain plates.

From Salon

Related Words

• ceramic
• ceramics
• enamel