Definitions for porcelain
ˈpɔr sə lɪn, ˈpoʊr-; ˈpɔrs lɪn, ˈpoʊrs-porce·lain

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. porcelain(noun)

   ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic

Wiktionary(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. porcelain(Noun)

   a hard, white, translucent ceramic that is made by firing kaolin and other materials; china.

   Etymology: From porcelaine 'cowrie, chinaware', from porcellana 'cowrie, chinaware', from porcella, the mussel and cockle shells which painters put their pigments in, literally 'female piglet'.

2. porcelain(Noun)

   anything manufactured from this material.

   Etymology: From porcelaine 'cowrie, chinaware', from porcellana 'cowrie, chinaware', from porcella, the mussel and cockle shells which painters put their pigments in, literally 'female piglet'.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Porcelain(noun)

   purslain

   Etymology: [F. porcelaine, It. porcellana, orig., the porcelain shell, or Venus shell (Cypra 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.]

2. Porcelain(noun)

   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

   Etymology: [F. porcelaine, It. porcellana, orig., the porcelain shell, or Venus shell (Cypra 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.]

Freebase(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Porcelain

   Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between 1,200 °C and 1,400 °C. The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arise mainly from the formation of glass and the mineral mullite within the fired body at these high temperatures. Porcelain derives its present name from old Italian porcellana because of its resemblance to the translucent surface of the shell. Porcelain can informally be referred to as "china" or "fine china" in some English-speaking countries, as China was the birthplace of porcelain making. Properties associated with porcelain include low permeability and elasticity; considerable strength, hardness, toughness, whiteness, translucency and resonance; and a high resistance to chemical attack and thermal shock. For the purposes of trade, the Combined Nomenclature of the European Communities defines porcelain as being "completely vitrified, hard, impermeable, white or artificially coloured, translucent, and resonant." However, the term porcelain lacks a universal definition and has "been applied in a very unsystematic fashion to substances of diverse kinds which have only certain surface-qualities in common".

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Porcelain

   pors′lān, n. a fine earthenware, white, thin, semi-transparent, first made in China: china-ware.—adj. of the nature of porcelain.—adjs. Por′celānous, Porcellā′neous, Por′cellānous.—n. Por′cellanite, a very hard, impure, jaspideous rock.—Cast, or Fusible, porcelain, a milky glass made of silica and cryolite with oxide of zinc; Egg-shell porcelain, an extremely thin and translucent porcelain; False porcelain, a name given to the artificial or soft-paste porcelain; Frit porcelain, a name given to artificial soft-paste English porcelain, from its vitreous nature; Tender porcelain, a ware imitating hard-paste or natural porcelain. [O. Fr. porcelaine—It. porcellana, the Venus' shell—L. porcella, a young sow—porcus, a pig.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. porcelain

   Is a type of ceramic material.

   Many dishes, cups, plates and decorations are made from Porcelain.

   Submitted by MaryC on August 5, 2015  

How to pronounce porcelain?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say porcelain in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of porcelain in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of porcelain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of porcelain in a Sentence

1. John Adams:

   I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.

2. Jussi Pylkkanen:

   Collectors from different countries are appreciating masters from Picasso to Rothko, whether it's furniture or porcelain or artists who represent the best in 20th-century painting, they appreciate the best in class.

3. Ezra Pound:

   As a bathtub lined with white porcelain, when the hot water gives out or goes tepid, so is the slow cooling of our chivalrous passion, o my much praised but-not-altogether-satisfactory lady.

4. Tom Carter:

   Hair salon doorways in the capital city's pink light district. Working as a xiaojie is an alternative, albeit illicit, means of income for these underprivileged girls, who are known in Jiangxi as "porcelain with cracks" and in Ningxia as "wilted flowers".

5. Tory Burch:

   Porcelain has always been a passion, i was raised around it.

Images & Illustrations of porcelain

Popularity rank by frequency of use