Kaolinising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Transforming feldspar or other rock into kaolin, the fine white clay formed when minerals break down through chemical weathering
2. Changing stone into the soft white clay known as kaolin, usually through the slow action of water and acids over time
3. Altering mineral rock so that it breaks down into kaolin, a china clay produced by hydrothermal or weathering processes

Etymology: "Kaolinising" is the British spelling of "kaolinizing," the present participle of "kaolinise," which means to convert a rock or mineral into kaolin, the fine white clay used in porcelain and paper coating. The verb is built on "kaolin," itself borrowed into English from French "kaolin," which came from Chinese "gāoling" (高嶺), meaning "high ridge," the name of a hill near Jingdezhen in China where the clay was mined. The "-ise" ending is the standard English suffix for forming verbs from nouns, so the word is a straightforward chain: a Chinese place name, a French loan, and an English verb with the suffix attached.

Synonyms: kaolinizing