porcelain

noun

por·​ce·​lain ˈpȯr-s(ə-)lən How to pronounce porcelain (audio)
1
: a hard, fine-grained, sonorous, nonporous, and usually translucent and white ceramic ware that consists essentially of kaolin, quartz, and a feldspathic rock and is fired at a high temperature

called also hard-paste porcelain, true porcelain

2
porcelainlike adjective
porcelaneous adjective
or porcellaneous

Examples of porcelain in a Sentence

The bowl is made of porcelain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Much of his delicate porcelain features seaglass tones and intricate, cutout designs. Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025 Choose the right sink material for you There are several common sink materials, including stainless steel, acrylic, granite, quartz, enamel, porcelain, fireclay, soapstone, copper, natural stone, natural quartz and marble. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025 The researchers found that the phone-using participants were five times more likely than no-phone poopers to spend more than five minutes perched on the porcelain throne. Erica Sloan, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025 Aside from looking creepy, sort of a given with all porcelain dolls of a certain age, Annabelle doesn’t do much of anything, and yet that hasn’t stopped her from headlining her own spinoff series and getting mentioned in the same breath as far more dynamic pint-size killers like Chucky and M3gan. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for porcelain

Word History

Etymology

Middle French porcelaine cowrie shell, porcelain, from Italian porcellana, from porcello vulva, literally, little pig, from Latin porcellus, diminutive of porcus pig, vulva; from the shape of the shell — more at farrow

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of porcelain was circa 1530

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Cite this Entry

“Porcelain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porcelain. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

porcelain

noun
por·​ce·​lain ˈpōr-s(ə-)lən How to pronounce porcelain (audio)
ˈpȯr-
: a hard white ceramic ware used especially for dishes and chemical utensils

Medical Definition

porcelain

noun
por·​ce·​lain ˈpōr-s(ə-)lən, ˈpȯr- How to pronounce porcelain (audio)
: a hard, fine-grained, nonporous, and usually translucent and white ceramic ware that consists essentially of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar and that has many uses in dentistry
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