Chi"na (?), n.
1. A country in Eastern Asia.
2. China ware, which is the
modern popular term for porcelain. See Porcelain.
China aster (Bot.), a well-known garden flower and plant. See Aster. -- China bean. See under Bean, 1. -- China clay See Kaolin. -- China grass, Same as Ramie. -- China ink. See India ink. -- China pink (Bot.), an anual or biennial species of Dianthus (D. Chiensis) having variously colored single or double flowers; Indian pink. -- China root (Med.), the rootstock of a species of
Smilax (S. China, from the East Indies; -- formerly much esteemed for the purposes that sarsaparilla is now used for. Also the galanga root (from Alpinia Gallanga and
Alpinia officinarum). -- China rose. (Bot.) (a) A popular name for several free-blooming varieties of rose derived from the Rosa Indica, and perhaps other species. (b) A flowering hothouse plant (Hibiscus
Rosa-Sinensis) of the Mallow family, common in the
gardens of China and the east
Indies. -- China shop, a shop or store
for the sale of China
ware or of crockery. -- China ware, porcelain; --
so called in the 17th century because brought from the far East,
and differing from the pottery made in Europe at that time;
also, loosely, crockery in general. -- Pride of China, China tree. (Bot.) See Azedarach.
Hear it pronounced