Porcellaneous
/ˌpɔːrsəˈleɪniəs/noun
Resembling porcelain in appearance or texture.
Did you know?European traders called porcelain porcellana, an Italian word linked to porcellino, “little pig,” because the glossy cowrie shell was thought to resemble a pig’s rounded form.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*porkos
“Pig or swine”
Classical Latin
Latin
porcus
“Pig or hog”
Late Latin
Latin
porcellus
“Little pig; piglet”
13th–14th Century
Italian
porcellana
“Cowrie shell; later, porcelain, named through an association with a piglet”
16th Century
Italian/French
porcelaine
“Porcelain; the fine, glossy ceramic”
17th–18th Century
English
porcelain
“A fine, translucent ceramic”
Modern English
English
porcellaneous
“Resembling porcelain”