• n. 瓷；瓷器
• adj. 瓷制的；精美的

來自中古法語procelaine,來自意大利語porcellana,貝殼，瓷器，因其相似的光澤而得名，來自拉丁語porcellus,小豬，詞源同pork,-elle,小詞后綴。據說是因為貝殼的孔隙有如母豬的外陰而得名。

porcelain

porcelain: [16] The bizarre history of the word porcelain leads us back to a pig’s vagina. It was originally applied to fine china in Italian, as porcellana. This meant literally ‘cowrie shell’, and was used for the china in allusion to its shelllike sheen. Porcellana was a derivative of porcella ‘little sow’, a diminutive form of porca ‘sow’ (to which English pork is related), and was applied to cowrie shells because they supposedly resembled the external genitalia of female pigs. English acquired the word via French porcelaine.
=> pork

porcelain (n.)

1530s, from Middle French porcelaine and directly from Italian porcellana "porcelain" (13c.), literally "cowrie shell," the chinaware so called from resemblance of its lustrous transparency to the shiny surface of the shells. The shell's name in Italian is from porcella "young sow," fem. of Latin porcellus "young pig," diminutive of porculus "piglet," diminutive of porcus "pig" (see pork (n.)). According to an old theory, the connection of the shell and the pig is a perceived resemblance of the shell opening to the exposed outer genitalia of pigs.

porcelain is china & china is p.; there is no recondite difference between the two things, which indeed are not two, but one; & the difference between the two words is merely that china is the homely term, while porcelain is exotic & literary. [Fowler]

1. Place them in a jam jar, porcelain bowl, or other similar container.

將它們裝入果醬罐、瓷碗或其他類似容器中。

來自柯林斯例句

2. There were lilies every-where in tall white porcelain vases.

高高的白色瓷瓶上繪滿了百合花。

來自柯林斯例句

3. Arlott squirrelled away books, pictures and porcelain plates.

阿洛特將書本、圖片和瓷盤瓷碟都藏起來。

來自柯林斯例句

4. a dainty porcelain cup

小巧玲瓏的瓷杯

來自《權威詞典》

5. These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.

這些瓷盤的花紋很別致.

來自《現代漢英綜合大詞典》