porcelain

noun

por·​ce·​lain ˈpȯr-s(ə-)lən 

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

: soft-paste porcelain

porcelainlike

ˈpȯr-s(ə-)lən-ˌlīk 

adjective

porcelaneous adjective

or porcellaneous

ˌpȯr-sə-ˈlā-nē-əs 

Examples of porcelain in a Sentence

The bowl is made of porcelain.

Recent Examples on the Web

Toilet bases are made of different materials, such as ceramic or porcelain, and each material reacts differently to certain solutions. —Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2025

Atelier Expressions is on a mission to elevate its tableware business, beginning with porcelain. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025

And more recently French museums have been hit with a spate of thefts, including raw gold stolen from the National Museum of Natural History and porcelain works reportedly worth around $11 million taken from the Adrien Dubouche Museum in Limoges last month. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025

Also in September, robbers stole $11 million worth of porcelain works, described as national treasures, from the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in the French town of Limoges. —Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 19 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing porcelain

• hard-paste porcelain
• porcelain enamel
• soft-paste porcelain
• true porcelain

Kids Definition

porcelain

noun

por·​ce·​lain ˈpōr-s(ə-)lən 

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- 

: 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