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Definition 2024

porcelaine

porcelaine

See also: porcélaine

French

Noun

porcelaine f ‎(plural porcelaines)

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

Descendants

References

  • "porcelaine", Le petit Robert 1, 1990 edition.
  • "porcelain", Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition.

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; ****”). 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”).

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