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

It’s for a skid of porcelain subway tile, for over nineteen hundred dollars.

From Literature

Once they made up their mind to purchase some porcelain, they could often be drawn into buying a teak chair or some other expensive piece of furniture.

From Literature

Not the silken, restaurant version piped into porcelain.

From Salon

Maggie had brown hair, dark eyes, skin like a porcelain doll.

From Literature

“I see midnight blue, persian blue, cornflower, powder, and sapphire. And whites? There’s porcelain, daisy, and pearl.”

From Literature

Related Words

• ceramic
• ceramics
• enamel