Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Chinese ·1720s
Kaolin
from 高嶺 (Gāolǐng)
- Meaning
- A fine white clay used in porcelain and paper.
- Source word
- 高嶺 (Gāolǐng)
- Route into English
- From Gaoling ("high ridge"), a hill in Jiangxi Province where the clay was mined → Portuguese and French missionary reports → English via the porcelain trade. An export named after its dig site.
- Arrived
- 1720s
From Chinese
Trade English from the South China Sea ports (especially Hokkien-speaking Xiamen and Canton) seeded the early borrowings; 20th-century diplomacy and military contact added the rest.
English borrows.
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