Porcelain
Porcelain , noun
(Botany) Purslain. [Obsolete]
Porcelain (277) , noun
[French porcelaine, Italian porcellana, orig., the porcelain shell, or Venus shell (Cypraa porcellana), from a dim. from Latin 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.]
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.
Porcelain, by being pure, is apt to break.
Collocations (6)
Ivory porcelain , porcelain with a surface like ivory, produced by depolishing. See Depolishing.
Porcelain clay , See under Clay.
Porcelain crab (Zoology) , any crab of the genus Porcellana and allied genera (family Porcellanida). They have a smooth, polished carapace.
Porcelain printing , the transferring of an impression of an engraving to porcelain.
Porcelain shell (Zoology) , a cowry.