china
chinas
China is a kind of ceramic or porcelain tableware. If your grandmother asks you to put the china on the table, you'll grab a stack of plates.
You can use the word china, with a lowercase c, to mean dishes or plates in general, although the word usually specifies a fine, high-quality kind of ceramic. A china tea cup is delicate, and has a matching saucer, and your dad's best china might only come out at Thanksgiving. Because this delicate kind of dish was originally imported from China, it was first called Chinaware, later shortened to china.
Definitions of china
-
high quality porcelain originally made only in China
-
types:
-
bone china
fine porcelain that contains bone ash
-
crackle, crackle china, crackleware
glazed china with a network of fine cracks on the surface
-
type of:
-
porcelain
ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic
-
bone china
-
dishware made of high quality porcelain
-
synonyms:
chinaware
-
types:
-
willow-pattern, willowware
chinaware decorated with a blue Chinese design on a white background depicting a willow tree and often a river
-
willow-pattern, willowware
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘china'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up china for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
