n.1 a hard vitrified translucent ceramic.
2 objects made of this.
Phrases and idioms:
porcelain clay kaolin. porcelain-shell cowrie.
Derivatives:
porcellaneous adj. porcellanous adj.
Etymology: 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