Meanings
plural kaolins · alternative kaoline
- countableuncountableA fine clay, rich in kaolinite, used in ceramics, papermaking, etc.
Grind with strong arm, the circling chertz betwixt, / Your pure Ka-o-lins and Pe-tun-tses mixt […].
1791, Erasmus Darwin, The Economy of Vegetation, J. Johnson, page 861 more example
The composition of the Eastern or proper China ware, according to accounts that have great marks of authenticity, is from two earths; one of which is, as was before mentioned, vitrescent, and is called Petunse; the other a refractory or apyrous earth; and called Kaolin.
1757, The Handmaid to the Arts, volume 2Synonyms: china clay, E559, paper clay, lithomarge, lithomarga, kaoline, kaolinite
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA fine clay, rich in kaolinite, used in ceramics, papermaking, etc.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna fine usually white clay formed by the weathering of aluminous minerals (as feldspar); used in ceramics and as an absorbent and as a filler (e.g., in paper)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Chinese高嶺土 /高岭土“Gaoling earth”
- Frenchkaolin
- Englishkaolin
From French kaolin, François Xavier d'Entrecolles's irregular romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 高嶺土 /高岭土 (gāolǐngtǔ, “Gaoling earth”), from 高嶺 /高岭 (Gāolǐng, “High Ridge”), a village in Fuliang County, Jingdezhen Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, that became Jingdezhen's primary source of this kind of clay during the early to mid-Qing dynasty.
More words from French, Chinese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian каолин
- каолин (kaolin)clay
Catalan caolí
- caolíclay
Chinese Cantonese 瓷土
- 瓷土 (ci⁴ tou²)clay
Chinese Mandarin 高嶺土 /高岭土, 瓷土
- 高嶺土 /高岭土 (gāolǐngtǔ)clay
- 瓷土 (cítǔ)clay
- 陶土 (táotǔ)clay
Czech kaolín, kaolin
- kaolínclay
- kaolinclay
Danish kaolin, porcelænsjord
- kaolinclay
- porcelænsjordclay
Finnish kaoliini
- kaoliiniclay
French kaolin
- kaolinclay
German Kaolin
- Kaolinclay
Greek καολίνης
- καολίνης (kaolínis)clay
Hungarian kaolin
- kaolinclay
Irish caoilín, cré Shíneach
- caoilínclay
- cré Shíneachclay
Italian caolino
- caolinoclay
Norwegian Bokmål kaolin, porselensjord
- kaolinclay
- porselensjordclay
Polish kaolin
- kaolinclay
Portuguese caulinita
- caulinitaclay
Romanian caolin
- caolinclay
Russian каоли́н, каолини́т
- каоли́н (kaolín)clay
- каолини́т (kaolinít)clay
Spanish caolín
- caolínclay
Tagalog kawlin
- kawlinclay
Turkish kaolin
- kaolinclay
Vietnamese caolin, cao lanh
- caolinclay
- cao lanhclay
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
kaolin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kaolin
“kaolin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kaolin. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kaolin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kaolin.
Source: kaolin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.