porcelain
Delicate white ware
Porcelain is a hard, white, translucent ceramic made by firing clay at high temperatures.
The finest porcelain originated in China, making *china* and *porcelain* near-synonyms for delicate dinnerware.
Porcelain appears in decorative objects, dental work, and bathroom fixtures.
As an adjective, it suggests smooth paleness: porcelain skin.
The material's fragility makes it a metaphor for anything delicate or easily damaged.
Moldable earth for ceramics
- kaolinWhiteite mineral for pottery
- ceramicsHardened clay objects
- stonewareDense ceramic fired hot
- earthenwareLow-temperature fired pottery
bisque · glaze · vitrification · alumina · silica · feldspar · calcium · oxide
Vessels for serving meals
- teacupSmall handled drinking vessel
- saucerSmall plate beneath cup
- plateFlat dish for food
- bowlConcave food container
tureen · platter · vase · figurine · teapot · charger · creamer · cachepot
Refined, graceful quality
- refinementElegance of manner
- translucenceDiffused light transmission
- lustrousSoftly bright, reflective
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
exquisite · graceful · polished · ornamental · decorative · chinoiserie · ivory · glossy
Porcelain-producing French city
Oven for hardening clay
- firingTerminating employment
- throwingPropelling by arm motion
- wheelRotating circular frame
- potteryFired clay objects
sculpting · artisan · handmade · shaping · molding · turning · jiggering · glazing
Liable to shatter
- breakableCapable of shattering
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
- shatterFragment violently, suddenly
- crackNarrow break or attempt
chip · smash · splinter · frangible · vulnerable · tender · frail · fragile
Resistance to penetration
- vitrificationTransformation into glass
- kiln-firedHeated in ceramic oven
- ovenproofAble to withstand baking temperatures
- longevityDuration of existence
scratch-resistant · wear-resistant · glazed · dense · waterproof · impermeable · stain-resistant · heat-resistant
clay
Moldable earth for ceramics
earthenware · bisque · glaze · vitrification · alumina · silica · feldspar · calcium · oxide · paste
dinnerware
Vessels for serving meals
bowl · tureen · platter · vase · figurine · teapot · charger · creamer · cachepot · jardiniere
elegance
Refined, graceful quality
- refinementElegance of manner
- translucenceDiffused light transmission
- lustrousSoftly bright, reflective
delicate · exquisite · graceful · polished · ornamental · decorative · chinoiserie · ivory · glossy · symmetry
Limoges
Porcelain-producing French city
- DelftDutch city, famous earthenware
- WedgwoodBritish luxury ceramics brand
- MingChinese imperial era, 1368–1644
celadon · blue-and-white · canton · majolica
kiln
Oven for hardening clay
pottery · sculpting · artisan · handmade · shaping · molding · turning · jiggering · glazing · trimming
brittle
Liable to shatter
crack · chip · smash · splinter · frangible · vulnerable · tender · frail · fragile · hairline
hardness
Resistance to penetration
- vitrificationTransformation into glass
- kiln-firedHeated in ceramic oven
- ovenproofAble to withstand baking temperatures
longevity · scratch-resistant · wear-resistant · glazed · dense · waterproof · impermeable · stain-resistant · heat-resistant
bathtub
Fixture for soaking
bidet · tile · washbasin · lavatory · commode · vanity · pedestal · enamel · faucet · plumbing
- potterypot, pottery, clay pottery, throwing, ceramic vase
- ancient trade goodsgold, silver, copper, silk, spices
- Asian inventionsgunpowder, paper money, compass, silk production, movable type
- Chinese ceramicsceladon, blue and white, blue-and-white, vases, bowls
- traditional decordamask, toile, chintz, brocade, paisley
- Pearlescent Thingsmoonstone, opal, nacre, mother-of-pearl, abalone shell
porcelainearthenware
Low-temperature fired pottery
terracotta · stoneware · redware · clay pottery · clay
porcelainwood
Tree-derived building material
leather · fabric · rubber · plastic · organic materials
porcelaincast iron
Brittle iron-carbon alloy
rubber · steel · titanium · unbreakable · shatterproof
- porcelain dollsGlazed ceramic toy figures
- porcelain figurinesSmall decorative ceramic sculptures
- Chinese porcelainFine glazed Eastern ceramics
- porcelain throneSlang for toilet
- porcelain vaseGlazed ceramic decorative container
- porcelain skinPale, smooth complexion