china C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˈtʃaɪnə/ UK /ˈtʃaɪnə/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun fine porcelain tableware; British rhyming slang for a close friend She kept the good china for special occasions. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · fine porcelain tableware;... porcelaincrockerytablewareceramicwarematefriend Word family Related forms chinawareporcelain Etymology AI details From the country China (via Persian chīnī), since the fine porcelain was imported from there. The Cockney 'friend' sense is rhyming slang from 'china plate' = 'mate'. Topics People & Society Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # china **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈtʃaɪnə/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈtʃaɪnə/ ## Meanings 1. fine porcelain tableware; British rhyming slang for a close friend ## Examples - She kept the good china for special occasions. ## Synonyms - porcelain - crockery - tableware - ceramic - ware - mate - friend ## Related Forms - chinaware - porcelain ## Etymology From the country China (via Persian chīnī), since the fine porcelain was imported from there. The Cockney 'friend' sense is rhyming slang from 'china plate' = 'mate'. ## AI Etymology China is from the country China (via Persian chīnī), since the fine porcelain was imported from there. The Cockney 'friend' sense is rhyming slang from 'china plate' = 'mate'. The current sense covers fine porcelain tableware; British rhyming slang for a close friend. The wider family includes related words such as chinaware and porcelain. ## Topics - People & Society - Register & Style markdown