ceramics
ceramics Lexical Profile
ceramics Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The art, craft, or technology of making objects from clay and similar inorganic, nonmetallic materials by shaping them and hardening them with high heat.
"She decided to take an evening course in ceramics to learn how to throw bowls on a potter's wheel."
Pots, dishes, tiles, and other articles made from clay or similar materials hardened by heat.
"The museum's new exhibition features ancient glazed ceramics excavated from sites along the Silk Road."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the artistic or technical discipline, "ceramics" takes a singular verb (e.g., "Ceramics is taught in the studio"); when referring to physical pottery objects, it takes a plural verb.
• Rhymes for ceramics
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-19th century from the adjective "ceramic," which derives from Ancient Greek "keramikos" (of or for pottery), from "keramos" (potter's clay or earthenware).