ceramics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the art or technology of making objects of clay and similar materials treated by firing.
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(used with a plural verb) articles of earthenware, porcelain, etc.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ceramics
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Explanation
The branch of art known as ceramics is all about making pottery. A ceramics class might teach you to make a bowl from clay using a pottery wheel. In ceramics, artists pinch cups and figures from clay, and create bowls, plates, and pots by spinning and shaping the clay on a wheel. Most of these items — which can also be called ceramics — are glazed or painted, and baked in an extremely hot oven. The word ceramics comes from the Greek word keramos, "potter's clay," or "tiles."
Vocabulary lists containing ceramics
Visual Arts - Introductory
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Visual Arts - High School
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Visual Arts - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a presentation to investors at the end of April, Toto pledged to make its ceramics line a “core business,” after urging from the U.K.-based activist Palliser Capital earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
But it turns out that decades of ceramics experience can also lend themselves well to chip manufacturing.
From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026
Art is everywhere, from the Polaroids pinned to the walls in the powder room to the ceramics and masks hanging throughout the house.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
Former worker Hayley Baddiley has called for the ceramics industry to be included in the British Industry Supercharger scheme - which provides relief from electricity costs for firms in sectors like steel and chemicals.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
Sean said he heard some knucklehead in the ceramics studio claim that Erin was being sent to a Catholic boarding school somewhere in California.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
