potter1

[pot-er] /ˈpɒt ər/
noun
1.
a person who makes pottery.
Origin
before 1100; Middle English; late Old English pottere. See pot1, -er1

potter2

[pot-er] /ˈpɒt ər/
verb (used without object), noun, Chiefly British
1.
putter1 .
Origin
1520-30; frequentative of obsolete, dial. pote to push, poke, Middle English poten, Old English potian to push, thrust. See put, -er6
Related forms
potterer, noun
potteringly, adverb

Potter

[pot-er] /ˈpɒt ər/
noun
1.
Beatrix
[bee-uh-triks] /ˈbi ə trɪks/ (Show IPA), 1866–1943, English writer and illustrator of children's books.
2.
Paul, 1625–54, Dutch painter.
Examples from the web for potter
  • Every potter praises his own pot and the more if it be cracked.
  • Don't scuffle with the potter for he makes money by the damage.
  • Used by the sight of my corals and potter's ore to be dazzled.
  • The pot allegedly had waveforms etched into a groove as a potter incised a line with a stylus while the pot spun.
  • She had a talent as a painter and a potter, pursuits she said helped her to relax.
  • These wares begin with raw clay pulled from the ruddy hillsides and prepared for throwing on the potter's wheel or hand-building.
  • But the idyll contains dark secrets, as a potter whom the family takes in for a time discovers.
  • potter would watch these animals for hours on end, sketching them.
British Dictionary definitions for potter

potter1

/ˈpɒtə/
noun
1.
a person who makes pottery

potter2

/ˈpɒtə/
verb
1.
(intransitive; often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner
2.
(intransitive; often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction: to potter about town
3.
(transitive) usually foll by away. to waste (time): to potter the day away
noun
4.
the act of pottering
Derived Forms
potterer, especially (US & Canadian) putterer, noun
Word Origin
C16 (in the sense: to poke repeatedly): from Old English potian to thrust; see put

Potter

/ˈpɒtə/
noun
1.
(Helen) Beatrix. 1866–1943, British author and illustrator of children's animal stories, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
2.
Dennis (Christopher George). 1935–94, British dramatist. His TV plays include Pennies from Heaven (1978), The Singing Detective (1986), and Blackeyes (1989)
3.
Paulus. 1625–54, Dutch painter, esp of animals
4.
Stephen. 1900–70, British humorist and critic. Among his best-known works are Gamesmanship (1947) and One-Upmanship (1952), on the art of achieving superiority over others
Word Origin and History for potter
n.

"maker of pots" (they also sometimes doubled as bell-founders), late Old English pottere "potter," reinforced by Old French potier "potter," agent noun from root of pot (n.1). As a surname from late 12c. Potter's field (1520s) is Biblical, a ground where clay suitable for pottery was dug, later purchased by high priests of Jerusalem as a burying ground for strangers, criminals, and the poor (Matt. xxvii:7). An older Old English word for "potter" was crocwyrhta "crock-wright."

v.

"occupy oneself in a trifling way," 1740, earlier "to poke again and again" (1520s), frequentative of obsolete verb poten "to push, poke," from Old English potian "to push" (see put (v.)). Sense of "occupy oneself in a trifling way" is first recorded 1740. Related: Pottered; pottering.