Word of the Day Archive
Wednesday September 12, 2012

celadon \SEL-uh-don\ , noun:
1. A pale gray-green.
2. Any of several Chinese porcelains having a translucent, pale green glaze.
3. Any porcelain imitating these.

adjective:
1. Having the color celadon.

The detail was striking and the cream, salmon, and celadon of the offset colors realistic, if slightly dated.
-- David Foster Wallace, The Pale King

Far out, the bay had a glaze like celadon.
-- Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

The word celadon stems from the name of a character in the 1610 book L'Astrée by Honoré d'Urfé. The character Céladon was a sentimental lover who wore bright green clothes.

Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for celadon

 

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