Since sintering is an ancient process, it has its own language much of which preceded the scientific analysis. Green bodies. All types of unfired ceramic are included. Volatiles. During processing we may remove volatile materials; even though we think of sintering as a solid-state phenomenon, the gas phase is important. The gaseous component may form as water or other solvents are removed or as organics undergo burnout. Hot pressing is the addition of pressure(uniaxial or hydro- static) while sintering. This is a large topic, so we address it again in a separate section. Desintering is the reverse sintering and may be associ ated with the reverse of densification A monolithic ceramic is a uniform ceramic piece. The importance of the shape of the particles before and during sintering is an extra complication. Corners and sharp junctions are difficult to treat in any continuum model of sintering.