porcelain

4 definitions found

porcelain - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Porcelain \Por"ce*lain\, n. (Bot.)
     Purslain. [Obs.]
     [1913 Webster]

  Porcelain \Por"ce*lain\ (277), n. [F. porcelaine, It.
     porcellana, orig., the porcelain shell, or Venus shell
     (Cypr[ae]a porcellana), from a dim. fr. L. porcus pig,
     probably from the resemblance of the shell in shape to a
     pig's back. Porcelain was called after this shell, either on
     account of its smoothness and whiteness, or because it was
     believed to be made from it. See Pork.]
     A fine translucent or semitransculent kind of earthenware,
     made first in China and Japan, but now also in Europe and
     America; -- called also China, or China ware.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Porcelain, by being pure, is apt to break. --Dryden.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Ivory porcelain, porcelain with a surface like ivory,
        produced by depolishing. See Depolishing.
  
     Porcelain clay. See under Clay.
  
     Porcelain crab (Zool.), any crab of the genus Porcellana
        and allied genera (family Porcellanid[ae]). They have a
        smooth, polished carapace.
  
     Porcelain jasper. (Min.) See Porcelanite.
  
     Porcelain printing, the transferring of an impression of an
        engraving to porcelain.
  
     Porcelain shell (Zool.), a cowry.
        [1913 Webster]

porcelain - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  porcelain
      n 1: ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic

porcelain - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  24 Moby Thesaurus words for "porcelain":
     adobe, biscuit, bisque, bowl, brick, cement, ceramic ware,
     ceramics, china, clay, crock, crockery, enamel, enamelware,
     firebrick, glass, jug, pot, pottery, refractory, tile, tiling, urn,
     vase