stoneware

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A heavy, nonporous, nontranslucent pottery, such as jasper ware, that is fired at a high temperature.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Potters' ware made from clay of very silicious nature, or a composition of clay and flint. The clay is beaten in water and purified, and the flint is calcined, ground, and suspended in water, and then mixed (in various proportions for various wares) with the clay. The mixture is then dried in a kiln until it is sufficiently solid to be kneaded, and is then beaten and tempered before being molded into shape. When fired it is not porous, like common pottery, but vitrified through its whole substance in consequence of the great amount of silex contained in the prepared clay. Vessels of stoneware are generally glazed by means of common salt. The salt, being thrown into the furnace, is volatilized by heat, becomes attached to the surface of the ware, and is decomposed, the muriatic acid flying off and leaving the soda behind it to form a fine thin glaze on the ware, which resists ordinary acids. The old German stoneware had often a vitreous glaze. See grès de Flandres, under grès, and Cologne ware, under ware.

Wiktionary

1. n. A type of pottery that is fired at a high temperature and is dense, opaque and nonporous.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A species of coarse potter's ware, glazed and baked.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. ceramic ware that is fired in high heat and vitrified and nonporous