Etymograph

English

porcelain

Porcelain comes from Middle French porcelaine ‘cowrie, wampum’, from Italian porcello ‘piglet’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- ‘to dig’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perḱ-‘to dig’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pórḱos‘young pig’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*porkos‘pig’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEporcus
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEporculus‘little pig’diminutive of porcus
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEporcellus‘piglet’
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentporcello‘piglet’
  8. Old Italianmodernporcellana‘cowrie’
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600porcelaine‘cowrie, wampum’
  10. Englishearliest quotation c. 1530porcelain

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perḱ-‘to dig’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pórḱos‘young pig’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*porkos‘pig’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEporcus
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEporculus‘little pig’diminutive of porcus
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEporcellus‘piglet’
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentporcello‘piglet’
  8. Old Italianmodernporcellana‘cowrie’
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600porcelaine‘cowrie, wampum’
  10. Englishearliest quotation c. 1530porcelain

Earliest quotation: c. 1530, letter in Original Letters Illustrative , Vol. II: “iij. potts of Erthe payntid, callyd Porseland.”

The story

The material was so called because of its resemblance to the shell of the cowrie. Why the cowrie was named with a word meaning “piglet” is unclear.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- ‘to dig’

perch, furlong, furrow, 11 more

through Proto-Indo-European *pórḱos ‘young pig’

farrow, 4 more

through Latin porcus

pork, porpoise, porcine, porcini, 4 more

Today it means

noun A hard white translucent ceramic, originally made by firing kaolin, quartz, and feldspar at high temperatures but now also inclusive of similar artificial materials; also often (figurative) such a material as a symbol of the fragility, elegance, etc. traditionally associated with porcelain goods.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- / porcelain

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