porcelain
noun /ˈpɔːsəlɪn/
/ˈpɔːrsəlɪn/
[uncountable, countable]- a hard, white, shiny substance made by baking clay and used for making delicate cups, plates and other objects; objects that are made of this
- a porcelain figure
- a collection of oriental porcelain
- The design is copied from Japanese porcelains of the fourteenth century.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fine
- white
- Chinese
- …
- piece
- factory
- bowl
- doll
- …
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French porcelaine, from Italian porcellana ‘cowrie shell’, hence ‘chinaware’ (from its resemblance to the dense polished shells).