kaolin

Etymology

Orthographic borrowing from French kaolin, from the Wade–Giles romanization of Mandarin 高嶺／高岭 (Gāolǐng, “high hill”), in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China, the location where this clay was first found.

noun

1. A fine clay, rich in kaolinite, used in ceramics, paper-making, etc.
   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 2
   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 86