porcelaine

See also: porcélaine

French

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; vagina”). 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”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pɔʁ.sə.lɛn/
Audio (file)

Noun

porcelaine f (plural porcelaines)

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

Derived terms

comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine
porcelaine carnéole
porcelaine cervine
porcelaine de Madagascar
porcelaine tigre

Descendants

→ Danish: porcelæn
→ English: porcelain
→ Ottoman Turkish: پورسلان‎ (porselen)
- Turkish: porselen
→ Swedish: porslin

References

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