[ 'pɔ:s(ə)lɪn ]
■ noun a white vitrified translucent ceramic; china. See also hard-paste , soft-paste .
↘articles made of this.
Derivatives
porcellaneous ˌpɔ:sɪ'leɪnɪəs adjective
porcellanous pɔ:'sɛlənəs adjective
Origin
C16: from Fr. ~e , from Ital. porcellana 'cowrie shell', hence 'chinaware'.