means A hard, white, translucent ceramic made from refined clay (especially kaolin) fired at high temperature, prized for tableware, art, and fine fixtures.

from From French 'porcelaine,' borrowed from Italian 'porcellana' — the name for the glossy cowrie shell, whose smooth pale sheen the imported Chinese ware resembled. The shell name itself comes from 'porcella,' 'little sow,' a frank and earthy nickname for the cowrie's curved, slotted shape, related to Latin 'porcus,' pig. So the most refined material at the table carries, buried in its name, a little pig.