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Definition of porcellaneous - 3 dictionary results

por⋅ce⋅lain

  [pawr-suh-lin, pohr-; pawrs-lin, pohrs-]
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–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

Related forms:
por⋅ce⋅la⋅ne⋅ous, por⋅cel⋅la⋅ne⋅ous  [pawr-suh-ley-nee-uhs, pohr-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

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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Medical Dictionary

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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