kaolin

Meaning

A fine clay, rich in kaolinite, used in ceramics, paper-making, etc.

Synonyms

kaoline

china clay

porcelain clay

terra alba

China clay

white clay

white paint

china stone

porcellanite

pottery clay

kaolin clay

white bole

bolusalba

argil

bolus alba

china-clay

clay

marl

porcelain

potter’s clay

montmorillonite

caoline

Translations

kaolin

caolín

Kaolin

caolino

καολίνης

caulim

caolí

Porzellanerde

kaolin

kaolien

caulinita

arcilla

arıkil

kaolîn

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkeɪ.ə.lɪn/

Etymology

From French kaolin, François Xavier d'Entrecolles's irregular romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 高嶺土 /高岭土 (gāolǐngtǔ, “Gaoling earth”), from 高嶺 /高岭 (Gāolǐng, “High Ridge”), a village in Fuliang County, Jingdezhen Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, that became Jingdezhen's primary source of this kind of clay during the early to mid-Qing dynasty.