porcelain

Word family

Related topics: Pottery & ceramics

porce·lain /ˈpɔːslɪn $ ˈpɔːrsəlɪn/ noun [uncountableU]

1 TIPa hard shiny white substance that is used for making expensive plates, cups etc 瓷 → china

a porcelain vase

瓷花瓶

2. DFUplates, cups etc made of this 瓷器 → china

Examples from the Corpus

porcelain• Instruments of torture feature somewhat incongruously alongside porcelain, glassware and fans owned by members of the imperial family.• Firemen and villagers formed a chain to ferry furniture and porcelain to safety.• I held my breath and examined the exquisite little porcelain feathers and the pink and white porcelain crab-apple blossoms.• The year was 1710, and Meissen porcelain is still being made to this day.• Hand-painted porcelain plates and artistic presentations are visually charming here.• The porcelain industry, in which again much government money was sunk, was also a failure.• She had put two straight-backed chairs at a kitchen table with a white porcelain top.

Origin porcelain

(1500-1600) French porcelaine, from Italian porcellana “type of shell, porcelain”

porce·lain noun

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus