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Definition of porcelain noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

porcelain

noun
 
/ˈpɔːsəlɪn/
 
/ˈpɔːrsəlɪn/
[uncountable, countable]
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  1. 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
    • …
    … of porcelain
    • piece
    porcelain + noun
    • factory
    • bowl
    • doll
    • …
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French porcelaine, from Italian porcellana ‘cowrie shell’, hence ‘chinaware’ (from its resemblance to the dense polished shells).
See porcelain in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: porcelain

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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