potter
See also: Potter
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English pottere, from late Old English pottere (“potter”), equivalent to pot + -er, influenced by Old French potier (“potter”). More at pot. Displaced Old English crocwyrhta (literally “pot worker”).
Noun
potter (plural potters)
- One who makes pots and other ceramic wares.
- 1961, J. A. Philip, “Mimesis in the Sophistês of Plato,”, in Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, volume 92, page 453:
- shoemakers, weavers, potters, bronzeworkers who produced and purveyed the articles necessary for daily life.
- One who places flowers or other plants inside their pots.
- One who pots meats or other eatables.
- One who hawks crockery or earthenware.
- 1829, Thomas De Quincey, “Professor Wilson”, in Edinburgh Literary Gazette:
- the convivial society of gipsies, tinkers, potters, strolling players, &c.
- The red-bellied terrapin, Pseudemys rubriventris (species of turtle).
- The chicken turtle, Deirochelys reticularia.
Synonyms
- (Pseudemys rubriventris): northern red-bellied cooter
- (maker of ceramics): ceramicist
Derived terms
Translations
one who makes pots and ceramic wares
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one who places flowers or other plants inside their pots
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one who pots food
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one who hawks earthenware
Pseudemys rubriventris
Deirochelys serrata
Etymology 2
Frequentative of pote, equivalent to pote + -er. Cognate with Dutch poteren, peuteren (“to poke, pry, search”).
Verb
potter (third-person singular simple present potters, present participle pottering, simple past and past participle pottered)
- (British) To act in a vague or unmotivated way; to fuss about with unimportant things.
- (British) To move slowly or aimlessly. (Often potter about, potter around.)
- 1923, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter II, in Leave It to Psmith:
- He’s so dreamy and absent-minded. He potters about the garden all the time.
- (obsolete) To poke repeatedly.
Derived terms
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
Swedish
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