porcelain en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈpoːs(ɘ)lɘn/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈpɔɹs(ə)lɪn/ (General-American)
- /ˈpɔːsəlɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpɔɹs(ə)lən/ (General-American)
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French porcelaine (“cowrie, wampum; china, chinaware”), from Old Italian porcellana (“cowrie; china, chinaware”), from Italian porcello (“piglet”). The material was so called because of its resemblance to the shell of the cowrie. Why the cowrie was named with a word meaning “piglet” is unclear.
Meanings
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(uncountable, usually) A hard white translucent ceramic, originally made by firing kaolin, quartz, and feldspar at high temperatures but now also inclusive of similar artificial materials; also often (figurative) such a material as a symbol of the fragility, elegance, etc. traditionally associated with porcelain goods.
Any power rail needs to be well insulated from earth, to minimise current leakage, and so the two power rails on the Underground sit on curiously genteel and antique-looking porcelain pots.
2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 136:Tableware and toilets are both made of porcelain.
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(uncountable, usually) Synonym of china: porcelain tableware.
He set the table with our porcelain and stemware.
iij. potts of Erthe payntid, callyd Porseland.
c. 1530, letter in Original Letters Illustrative of English History, Vol. II, p. 242
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(obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of kaolin: the kind of clay traditionally used in China to manufacture porcelain.
[...] that earthen or pliable matter commonly called porcellan, which is pure white,... wherof vessels of all kinds are very curiously framed...
1599, E. de Sande, translated by Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation, 2nd edition, volume II, page 91:
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(countable, plural-normally) An object made of porcelain, (particularly) art objects or items of tableware.
The museum has an extensive collection of rare Chinese porcelains.
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(countable, rare) Synonym of cowrie.
In the kingdomes of Caiacan and Carazan, certaine sea shels are currant, which some men terme Porcelline.
1601, Giovanni Botero, translated by Robert Johnson, The Trauellers Breuiat, or, An Historicall Description of the Most Famous Kingdomes in the World, page 104:
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(countable, historical, obsolete) Synonym of wampum: strings of shells, beads, etc. used as ornamentation or currency; the composite shells, beads, etc.
We mett severall gangs of men to our greatest disadvantage, ffor we weare forced to sing, and those that came to see us gave porcelaine to those that most did us injury.
c. 1665, Pierre Esprit de Radisson, Voyages, 1885 edition, page 49:
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(capitalized, countable, often) A kind of pigeon with deep brown and off-white feathers.
Those pretty spangled Toys [...] known by various names, as Porcelains, Hyacinths, Ermines, &c.
1855, The Poultry Chronicle, number 3, page 9:
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(countable, qualifier:Git, uncountable) The set of Git commands, such as `git commit` or `git checkout`, which control the high-level state of the repository, each typically combining the behaviour of multiple plumbing commands.
Coordinate term: plumbing
The
2016, Jakub Narębski, “Keeping History Clean”, in Mastering Git, Birmingham, West Midlands: Packt Publishing Ltd., page 227:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| porcelains | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
porcelain earth · worship the porcelain god · biscuit porcelain · porcelain shell · porcelaneous · porcelain spar · porcelain paper · porcelain printing · drive the porcelain bus · porcelain-white · porcelain bus · porcelain doll · porcelain biscuit · German porcelain · porcelain grain · porcelainize · Plymouth porcelain · porcelain blue · porcelain-making · porcelain skin · porcelain aorta · Chantilly porcelain · worship the porcelain goddess · porcelainware · porcelainlike · porcelain lace · point Percy at the porcelain · porcelain crab · pray to the porcelain goddess · ivory porcelain · porcelainberry · semiporcelain · porcelain throne · porcelainist · pray to the porcelain god · porcelain color · porcelain clay · porcelain kiln · porcelain tooth · porcelain jasper · porcelain ware · porcelain-tinted · porcelain goddess · porcelain god · porcelainite · porcelain cement · porcelain oven · porcelain-maker · tender porcelain · protoporcelain · bow down before the porcelain god
Hypernyms
material ceramic · earthenware
Hyponyms
soft-paste · softpaste · hard-paste
Synonyms
chinaware (porcelain tableware) · cowrie · china · china (all senses) · wampum · kaolin
Translations (151)
tk farfor (hard white translucent ceramic) · fa-ira چینی (hard white translucent ceramic) · fi posliini (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · nb porselen (hard white translucent ceramic) · el πορσελάνη (hard white translucent ceramic) · la porcellanus (hard white translucent ceramic) · vi đồ sứ (hard white translucent ceramic) · ru фарфо́р (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · fa-ira سُفالینِه (hard white translucent ceramic) · ja 陶磁器 (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · id porselen (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · ms porselin (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · uz farfor (hard white translucent ceramic) · hy ճենապակի (hard white translucent ceramic) · lb Parzeläin (hard white translucent ceramic) · gl porcelana (hard white translucent ceramic) · it porcellana (hard white translucent ceramic) · es loza (hard white translucent ceramic) · ast porzolana (hard white translucent ceramic) · fo postalín (hard white translucent ceramic) · tg фарфор (hard white translucent ceramic) · cy porslen (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · ar خَزَف (hard white translucent ceramic) · ja ポースレン (hard white translucent ceramic) · sh porcelan (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · ro porțelan (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · et portselan (hard white translucent ceramic) · cmn 瓷器 (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · tg фағфур (hard white translucent ceramic) · kk кәрлен (hard white translucent ceramic) · kn ಪಿಂಗಾಣಿ (hard white translucent ceramic) · sl porcelan (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · lv porcelāns (hard white translucent ceramic) · tl pamantingin (hard white translucent ceramic) · bn কেত্তলিন (hard white translucent ceramic) · pl porcelana (hard white translucent ceramic) · cs porcelán (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · he חַרְסִינָה (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · el πορσελάνη (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · yi פּאָרצעלײַ (hard white translucent ceramic) · sl porcelan (hard white translucent ceramic) · hi चीनी (hard white translucent ceramic) · lb Parzeläin (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · th เครื่องลายคราม (hard white translucent ceramic) · hu porcelán (hard white translucent ceramic) · ms porselin (hard white translucent ceramic) · fa-ira بارْفَتَن (hard white translucent ceramic) · vi sứ (hard white translucent ceramic) · sah фарфор (hard white translucent ceramic) · bn চীনামাটি (hard white translucent ceramic) · ca porcellana (hard white translucent ceramic) · ur چِینِی مِٹِّی (hard white translucent ceramic) · mk порцела́н (hard white translucent ceramic) · ro porțelan (hard white translucent ceramic) · sh porcùlān (hard white translucent ceramic) · izh farfori (hard white translucent ceramic) · kk фарфор (hard white translucent ceramic) · da porcelæn (hard white translucent ceramic) · sh порцелан (hard white translucent ceramic) · uk порцеля́на (hard white translucent ceramic) · my ကြွေထည်ပစ္စည်း (hard white translucent ceramic) · be парцаля́на (hard white translucent ceramic) · af porselein (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · az çini (hard white translucent ceramic) · gl louza (hard white translucent ceramic) · nn porselen (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · lt porcelianas (hard white translucent ceramic) · pt porcelana (hard white translucent ceramic) · id porselen (hard white translucent ceramic) · ko 도자기 (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · az farfor (hard white translucent ceramic) · da porcelæn (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · ja 陶磁 (hard white translucent ceramic) · ky фарфор (hard white translucent ceramic) · de Porzellan (hard white translucent ceramic) · nap purcellamma (hard white translucent ceramic) · kk кәрлен (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · nl porselein (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · fa-ira صینی (hard white translucent ceramic) · eo porcelano (hard white translucent ceramic) · mn шаазан (hard white translucent ceramic) · bg порцела́н (hard white translucent ceramic) · nn porselen (hard white translucent ceramic) · ja 焼き物 (hard white translucent ceramic) · yue 瓷器 (hard white translucent ceramic) · nrf porcélaine (hard white translucent ceramic) · ja 磁器 (hard white translucent ceramic) · sh porcelan (hard white translucent ceramic) · fi posliini (hard white translucent ceramic) · ko 도자기 (hard white translucent ceramic) · nb porselen (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · sk porcelán (hard white translucent ceramic) · sk porcelán (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · hu porcelán (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · be парцала́н (hard white translucent ceramic) · pl porcelana (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · es porcelana (hard white translucent ceramic) · uz chinni (hard white translucent ceramic) · sv porslin (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · ru фарфо́р (hard white translucent ceramic) · tr porselen (hard white translucent ceramic) · fa-ira فَغْفور (hard white translucent ceramic) · si පෝසිලේන් (hard white translucent ceramic) · cs porcelán (hard white translucent ceramic) · nan-hbl 幼瓷仔 (hard white translucent ceramic) · cy porslen (hard white translucent ceramic) · mnc ᠶᡝᡥᡝᡵᡝ (hard white translucent ceramic) · be фарфо́р (hard white translucent ceramic) · fa پورسلین (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · hi चीनी का बरतन (hard white translucent ceramic) · ur چِینِی (hard white translucent ceramic) · af porselein (hard white translucent ceramic) · he חַרְסִינָה (hard white translucent ceramic) · eu portzelana (hard white translucent ceramic) · sh порцу̀ла̄н (hard white translucent ceramic) · sv porslin (hard white translucent ceramic) · ur چِینِی کا بَرْتَن (hard white translucent ceramic) · sh порцелан (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · tr porselen (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · ota چینی (hard white translucent ceramic) · xal шаазң (hard white translucent ceramic) · cmn 瓷 (hard white translucent ceramic) · fa-ira پورْسِلین (hard white translucent ceramic) · sq porcelan (hard white translucent ceramic) · da porcelænsvare (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · vi đồ sứ (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · nl porselein (hard white translucent ceramic) · cmn 瓷器 (hard white translucent ceramic) · pt porcelana (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · fr porcelaine (hard white translucent ceramic) · el πορσελάνες (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · is postulín (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · oc porcelana (hard white translucent ceramic) · es porcelana (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · ga poirceallán (hard white translucent ceramic) · ka ფაიფური (hard white translucent ceramic) · fr porcelaine (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · gl porcelana (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · fa-ira سِفالینِه (hard white translucent ceramic) · tyv шаажаң (hard white translucent ceramic) · ms tembikar (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · sco cheenae (hard white translucent ceramic) · nan-hbl 磁器 (hard white translucent ceramic) · io porcelano (hard white translucent ceramic) · tk jäç (hard white translucent ceramic) · eo porcelano (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · hi पॉर्सिलेन (hard white translucent ceramic) · is postulín (hard white translucent ceramic) · id tembikar (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · de Porzellan (items (esp. dishware or objets d'art) made of porcelain) · uk фарфо́р (hard white translucent ceramic)