n. 1 a hard vitrified translucent ceramic. 2 objects made of this. porcelain clay kaolin. porcelain-shell cowrie. porcellaneous adj. porcellanous adj.
[ F porcelaine cowrie, porcelain f. It. porcellana f. porcella dimin. of porca sow (a cowrie being perh. likened to a sow's vulva) f. L porca fem. of porcus pig ]