CultureAugust 18, 2026

celadon

SEL-uh-don

Definition

A type of East Asian stoneware or porcelain characterized by a pale or translucent bluish-green glaze.

Etymology

The term likely originates from the character Céladon in the 17th-century French novel 'L'Astrée,' who wore ribbons of a pale sea-green color; the word was subsequently applied to the color and then to the Chinese and Korean ceramics displaying that specific glaze.

In the news

In this article, Goryeo-era celadon serves as the primary aesthetic focus of the Russell Tyson collection, representing a shift from viewing Korean pottery as merely utilitarian to recognizing it as deliberate, high-level art.

It Had to Be Beautiful: The Origins of the Korean Art Collection

Read the full article ↗

The Art Institute of Chicago

Related words

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.