Etymology

potter

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Today it means: One who makes pots and other ceramic wares. Full definition →

Middle English pottere ← Old English pottere ← Proto-West Germanic *pottārī
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potter · noun1

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*pottārī“pot-maker”
  2. Old English · inherited frompottere“potter”
  3. Middle English · inherited frompottere
  4. English todaypotter

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”).

potter · verb2

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

Potter · noun, proper noun3

  1. Proto-Germanic*puttaz
  2. Old Englishpott
  3. Proto-Germanic*puttaz
  4. Frankish*pott
  5. Vulgar Latinpottum
  6. Old Frenchpot
  7. Middle Englishpot
  8. Middle EnglishPotter
  9. English todayPotter

From Middle English Potter, English, Dutch, and north German surname, from the noun pot. The usage for someone from Stoke-on-Trent refers to it being the home of the pottery industry in England, where it is also known as The Potteries.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.