Kaolinises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Transforms feldspar or another aluminous rock into the fine white clay known as kaolin through chemical weathering or alteration
2. Changes a mineral deposit into kaolin, the soft white clay used in porcelain and paper coating, by decomposing its original structure
3. Turns rock material into kaolin clay by the process of hydrothermal alteration or natural decay that leaves behind a fine white residue

Etymology: Kaolinises is the third-person singular present form of "kaolinise", a verb meaning to break down rock into kaolin, the fine white clay used in porcelain. The verb takes its root from kaolin, which comes from Chinese "gaoling", meaning "high ridge", the name of a hill near Jingdezhen, the Chinese city famous for porcelain. The ending "-ise" is a verb-forming suffix that reached English through French from Greek "-izein". It turns a noun into an action, so kaolin, the clay, becomes a process: rock slowly weathering into clay.