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potter

/ˈpɑdər/
/ˈpɒtə/
IPA guide

Other forms: potters; pottering; pottered

If you regularly make bowls and mugs out of clay, you can call yourself a potter. Potters shape soft clay either by pinching it with their fingers or turning it on a wheel while pulling and squeezing the moving clay.

After shaping and sometimes glazing or decorating a piece of pottery, a potter bakes it at a high temperature in a special oven called a kiln. The verb potter, "occupy one's self in a pleasant, unhurried way," comes from a different root from the noun — so a potter doesn't necessarily potter around her studio.

Definitions of potter
  1. noun
    a craftsperson who shapes pottery on a potter's wheel and bakes them it a kiln
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    examples:
    Josiah Spode
    English potter who started a pottery famous for its bone china (1754-1827)
    Josiah Wedgwood
    English potter (1730-1795)
    type of:
    artificer, artisan, craftsman, journeyman
    a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
  2. verb
    do random, unplanned work or activities; spend time idly
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    types:
    puddle
    mess around, as in a liquid or paste
    type of:
    work
    exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
  3. verb
    work lightly
    “The old lady is pottering around in the garden”
    synonyms: putter
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    type of:
    busy, occupy
    keep busy with
  4. verb
    move around aimlessly
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    type of:
    move
    move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘potter'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of gold-punch.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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