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Dictionary.com defines a ceramic as:

noun (used with a singular verb) the art or technology of making objects of clay and similar materials treated by firing. (used with a plural verb) articles of earthenware, porcelain, etc.

This definition seems very narrow. There are numerous types of materials including aluminum oxide, uranium oxide and a variety of super conductors that are also classified as ceramics by chemists. What is the formal definition of a ceramic in the field of chemistry? Would teeth, for instance, fit under that definition of a ceramic?

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    $\begingroup$ Teeth are usually not put in ovens nor furnaces. Also, it may be a composite structure with proteins like mollusk shells. $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Apr 27, 2023 at 5:48
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    $\begingroup$ I don't think the dictionary definition is very useful here. Chemists would mostly describe teeth as a ceramic and might even be inspired by nature to help design better ceramics. The dictionary is biased towards how most ceramics are made not what they are. $\endgroup$
    – matt_black
    Commented Apr 27, 2023 at 11:21
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    $\begingroup$ The enamel on the outside would be a ceramic material -- but inside teeth is organic matter. $\endgroup$
    – Oscar Lanzi
    Commented Apr 27, 2023 at 13:04
  • $\begingroup$ To answer the question; "Do teeth fit the definition of a ceramic material?" Let's look at the question again, it speaks of "a" material. Since teeth are mosty made up of a bone-like material called 'Keratine' (if i'm correct, hair and nails are as well.) And only the outer, protective layer is made of a ceramic-like material. I would say that they most likely do NOT fit that definition. ...but i could be wrong. $\endgroup$
    – The Sighing Dutchman
    Commented Apr 27, 2023 at 22:54
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    $\begingroup$ As they speak about thermally processed manmade material, I do not see how teeth could fit. $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Apr 29, 2023 at 13:55

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Ceramics are fine-grained materials that contain both crystalline and glassy components. Often, precursors are nano- and microcrystalline, and become bound by turning partially glassy at sintering temperature below their melting point, however, preparation method is not fixed by definition. Teeth enamel fits: its organic part is not crystalline, mineral part is. So-called high-temperature-superconductors are non-stoichiometric compounds and therefore have a tendency towards non-crystalline phases: it's much harder to prepare single crystals than ceramics of them, but if you did, they would still superconduct.

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A ceramic is an opaque substance made from different amounts of different oxides in non stoichiometric amounts and homogenized by heating to a high temperature. The temperature must be high enough to produce finally a compact solid, even if no melting points are really achieved. The definition of ceramic has recently been extended and includes mixtures containing organic substances or polymers that do not require a high temperature for the compact solid to be created.

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