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Definition of Porcelain - 6 dictionary results
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por⋅ce⋅lain
[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. |
Origin:
1520–30; < F porcelaine < It porcellana orig., a type of cowry shell, appar. likened to the vulva of a sow, n. use of fem. of porcellano of a young sow, equiv. to porcell(a), dim. of porca sow (see pork, -elle ) + -ano -an
1520–30; < F porcelaine < It porcellana orig., a type of cowry shell, appar. likened to the vulva of a sow, n. use of fem. of porcellano of a young sow, equiv. to porcell(a), dim. of porca sow (see pork, -elle ) + -ano -an
Related forms:
por⋅ce⋅la⋅ne⋅ous, por⋅cel⋅la⋅ne⋅ous [pawr-suh-ley-nee-uhs, pohr-] , adjective
[pawr-suh-ley-nee-uhs, pohr-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To Porcelain
| por·ce·lain (pôr'sə-lĭn, pōr'-, pôrs'lĭn, pōrs'-) n.
[French porcelaine, cowry shell, porcelain, from Old French, from Old Italian porcellana, from feminine of porcellano, of a young sow (from the shell's resemblance to a pig's back), from porcella, young sow, diminutive of porca, sow, from Latin, feminine of porcus, pig; see porko- in Indo-European roots.] por'ce·la'ne·ous (-lā'nē-əs) adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Porcelain
Por"ce*lain\, n. (Bot.) Purslain. [Obs.]Porcelain
Por"ce*lain\ (277), n. [F. porcelaine, It. porcellana, orig., the porcelain shell, or Venus shell (Cypr[ae]a porcellana), from a dim. fr. L. porcus pig, probably from the resemblance of the shell in shape to a pig's back. Porcelain was called after this shell, either on account of its smoothness and whiteness, or because it was believed to be made from it. See Pork.] A fine translucent or semitransculent kind of earthenware, made first in China and Japan, but now also in Europe and America; -- called also China, or China ware. Porcelain, by being pure, is apt to break. --Dryden. Ivory porcelain, porcelain with a surface like ivory, produced by depolishing. See Depolishing. Porcelain clay. See under Clay. Porcelain crab (Zo["o]l.), any crab of the genus Porcellana and allied genera (family Porcellanid[ae]). They have a smooth, polished carapace. Porcelain jasper. (Min.) See Porcelanite. Porcelain printing, the transferring of an impression of an engraving to porcelain. Porcelain shell (Zo["o]l.), a cowry.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Porcelain
Spanish:
(nombre) porcelana; (adjetivo)de porcelana,
German:
das Porzellan; Porzellan-…,
Japanese:
磁器
porcelain
c.1530, from M.Fr. porcelaine, from It. porcellana "porcelain" (13c.), lit. "cowrie shell," the chinaware so called from resemblance to the shiny surface of the shells. The shell's name in It. is from porcella "young sow," fem. of L. porcellus "young pig," dim. of porculus "piglet," dim. of porcus "pig." Supposedly the shells were so called because the shape of the orifice reminded someone of the vaginas of pigs.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: por·ce·lain
Pronunciation: 'pOr-s(&-)l&n, 'por-
Function: noun
: a hard, fine-grained, nonporous, and usually translucentand white ceramic ware that consists essentially of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar and that has many uses in dentistry
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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