Porcelain
/ˈpɔːr.sə.lɪn/noun
A hard, white, translucent ceramic material made by firing refined clay at very high temperatures.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin porcellana, “cowrie shell,” because early Europeans thought the glossy Chinese ceramic looked like a shell’s smooth, shining surface.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
porcellana
“cowrie shell; a shell with a glossy, porcelain-like surface”
13th Century
Italian
porcellana
“cowrie shell; later, fine Chinese ceramic”
14th-15th Century
Old French
porcelaine
“porcelain; fine glazed ceramic”
16th Century
English
porcelane
“fine hard white pottery imported from the East”
Modern English
English
porcelain
“hard, white, translucent ceramic”