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 ( see pork, -elle) + -ano -an

Explanation

Your mom's favorite white china plates are probably made out of porcelain. Porcelain is a nearly translucent ceramic material used to make plates, bowls, and cups. The dishes at a fancy restaurant are often porcelain, a fine, delicate kind of china. Sometimes knickknacks, dolls, and art objects are also made from porcelain. The word comes from the Italian word for "cowrie shell," porcellana, which compares the shiny look of porcelain to the polished inside of a shell. Porcelain has a tricky spelling — although it ends with ain, it rhymes with ten, not rain.

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

This complete figurine of a seated pug dog in plain white-glazed porcelain with black details was found in the grave of an unnamed female at St James' Gardens in Euston.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

The 68-year-old, best known for working on the design of Beijing's Olympic stadium and filling the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in London with hand-crafted porcelain sunflower seeds in 2010, will lead Aviva Studios' spring/summer exhibitions.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

In “Enchanted Escape,” we see her ostentatiously unadorned Sèvres porcelain plates and silverware for the royal toilette, a pink neoclassical armchair for resting after doing very little.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

She was as unapproachable as a porcelain god.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• ceramic
• ceramics
• enamel