céramique

Forms

céramique (plural céramiques)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κεραμικός (keramikós, “of clay”), from κέραμος (kéramos, “potter's clay, earthenware”).^[2][3][4][1] In Greek the feminine of the adjective, with “art” understood, meant the potter's art.^[2]

Rey calls the Greek noun a technical term with no established etymology.^[3] A link with Latin cremō (“to burn”) seems to be contradicted by the fact that pottery is fired, not burnt; Lithuanian kárštas (“hot”) and Old High German herd (“hearth”) have also been compared, but the word may be a borrowing.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1806, in Lunier's Dictionnaire des sciences et des arts, as an adjective meaning “of clay”, relating to the potter's craft.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is the art of shaping and firing clay; as in Greek, it covers both the tile-maker's trade and the decorative craft.^[3] By metonymy it came to name the fired material and the objects made of it, whether faience, porcelain or terracotta.^[3][5] A technical use makes it any inorganic material other than metals and alloys; this sense gave the compound vitrocéramique (1974).^[3] The noun céramiste “ceramic artist” is recorded from 1836.^[6]

Timeline

• 1806 – First recorded, in Lunier's dictionary.^[2][3]
• 1836 – The derivative céramiste appears.^[6]
• 1974 – The compound vitrocéramique is formed.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to the making of objects of fired clay, faience or porcelain: les arts céramiques, l'industrie céramique.^[5][7][8]

Noun

1. The potter's art, ceramics.^[5][2][8]
2. The fired material of which such objects are made.^[5][1]
3. An object made of this material.^[5][7]
4. (materials science) A manufactured inorganic material other than metals and alloys.^[5][3]

Word family

• céramiste

Related words

• Ancient Greek κέραμος (kéramos)

Usage notes

Littré also records Céramique as the name of a quarter of ancient Athens.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette