por·ce·lain (pôr s -l n, p r-, pôrsln, prs-)n. 1. A hard, white, translucent ceramic made by firing a pure clay and then glazing it with variously colored fusible materials; china. 2. An object made of this substance. [French porcelaine, cowry shell, porcelain, from Old French, from Old Italian porcellana, from feminine of porcellano, of a young sow (from the shell's resemblance to a pig's back), from porcella, young sow, diminutive of porca, sow, from Latin, feminine of porcus, pig; see porko- in Indo-European roots.] por  ce·lane·ous (-l n -s) adj. |
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