porcelaine

Meaning

1. (feminine) cowrie, a mollusk of the family Cypraeidae, or its translucent shell
2. (feminine) porcelain, the translucent ceramic of fine china, or vessels made of this material

Concepts

porcelain

china

chinaware

earthenware

kaolin

kaoline

terra alba

china stone

porcelain clay

swallow prominent

Mother-of-pearl-plant

Ghost plant

bone china

porcelaine

china clay

crockery

Synonyms

chinois

🇨🇳/🇲🇴

céramique

en porcelaine

kaolin

chine

saxe

Translations

porcelana

Porzellan

porcellana

porcelana

porcellana

porselen

porselein

πορσελάνη

خزف

porselen eşya

porcelana

loza

خَزَف

بورسلان

Pronounced as (IPA)

/pɔʁ.sə.lɛn/

Etymology

From Old French (1298 AD) pourcelaine (“cowrie, cockle, or similar univalve seashell; the polished material of these shells”). By metaphorical extension, also fine china, which had a similar appearance. From Italian (13th century, in Marco Polo) porcellana (“cowrie; china; vagina”). From porcella (“the mussel and cockle shells which painters put their pigments in”, literally “female piglet”), the diminutive of porca (“sow”), from porco (“pig”), from Latin porcus (“pig”).