It is thought that the term kaolin is derived from the Chinese Kaoling, which translates loosely to white hill and has been related to the name of a mountain in China that yielded the first kaolins that were sent to Europe. Kaolinite is the mineralogical term that is applicable to kaolin clays. The study of the stacked arrangement and the individual layers in the stack are the defining factors of classification. Kaolin is a mineral typical of continental weathering where solutions percolate and are purified over time. Kaolinite cannot develop in sedimentary basins where solutions accumulate and are enriched.
Kaolin is one of the more highly prized of the industrial mineral clays.
Kaolin s traditional markets in ceramics over the past centuries have yielded to the now dominant consumption by the paper industry where it is extensively used as a filler, opacifier, and as an important input to high-end coatings. Additional, smaller markets for kaolin are in the refractory, rubber, paint, plastic, chemical, pharmaceutical and ceramic industries. The meta prefix in the term is used to denote change. It is a borrowing from Greek meaning after, along with, beyond. The scientific use of the prefix is used for a combining form denoting the least hydrated of a series.