Added 9 October 2026
porcelain
/ˈpɔːsəlɪn/ noun
In Latin: porcellanus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about porcelain at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic.
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)