The word "ceramic" comes from the Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos) meaning pottery, which is said to derive from the Indo-European word ker, meaning heat. Ceramics is the art and science of making things from inorganic, non-metallic materials by the action of heat. The term refers to the study of those materials, their purification and combination, and their formation into useful objects. They are formed by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. (ref. Wikipedia)