potter

See also: Potter

English

Pronunciation

  • (British) IPA(key): /ˈpɒtə/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈpɑtɚ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɒtə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle English pottere, from Old English pottere (“potter”, in placenames), from Proto-West Germanic *pottārī (“pot-maker”), equivalent to pot +‎ -er. Influenced by Anglo-Norman poter, Old French potier (“potter”). Cognate with Dutch potter (“potter”), German Low German Pötter, Pütter (“potter”). Displaced Old English synonyms lāmwyrhta (“a worker in clay, potter”, literally “loam-worker”), tiġelwyrhta (“brickmaker, potter”, literally “tile-worker”), crocwyrhta (“crocker, potter”, literally “crock-worker”).

Noun

potter (plural potters)

  1. 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.
  2. One who places flowers or other plants inside their pots.
  3. One who pots meats or other eatables.
  4. 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.
  5. The red-bellied terrapin, Pseudemys rubriventris (species of turtle).
  6. The chicken turtle, Deirochelys reticularia.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

References

  • (Biblical) Bratcher, Dennis Bratcher (2006), The Potter, The Voice CRI/Voice Institute[1]

Further reading

Etymology 2

Frequentative of pote, equivalent to pote +‎ -er. Cognate with Dutch poteren, peuteren (“to poke, pry, search”).

Alternative forms

Verb

potter (third-person singular simple present potters, present participle pottering, simple past and past participle pottered)

  1. (British) To act in a vague or unmotivated way; to fuss about with unimportant things.
  2. (British) To move slowly or aimlessly. (Often potter about, potter around.)
  3. (obsolete) To poke repeatedly.
Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

potter m or f

  1. indefinite plural of potte

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

potter f

  1. indefinite plural of potte

Swedish

Noun

potter

  1. indefinite plural of pott
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.