potter

[pot-er]

See more synonyms for potter on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), noun Chiefly British.

putter¹.

Origin of potter

1520–30; frequentative of obsolete, dial. pote to push, poke, Middle English poten, Old English potian to push, thrust. See put, -er⁶

Related formspot·ter·er, nounpot·ter·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pottering

stagnation, lethargy, loiter, fidget, fool, interfere, torpor, dormancy, torpidity, slothfulness, slouch, idleness, sloth, leisure, loafing, shiftlessness, stupor, slowness, truancy, indolence

Examples from the Web for pottering

Historical Examples of pottering

I could manage the little jobs that I'd get—in fact, pottering about at them would do me good.
The Great Hunger
Johan Bojer
He left the room and she heard him pottering in the kitchen.
The Paliser case
Edgar Saltus
Just as if we hadn't had enough tinkering and pottering lately.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 104, March 11, 1893
Various
The men were a sculptor, pottering with clay, and his model.
The Wit of a Duck and Other Papers
John Burroughs
Harlan was engaged in that pleasant pastime known as “pottering.”
At the Sign of the Jack O'Lantern
Myrtle Reed

British Dictionary definitions for pottering

potter

noun

a person who makes pottery

potter

esp US and Canadian putter

British

verb

(intr; often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner
(intr; often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or directionto potter about town
(tr usually foll by away) to waste (time)to potter the day away

noun

the act of pottering

Derived Formspotterer or esp US and Canadian putterer, noun

Word Origin for potter

C16 (in the sense: to poke repeatedly): from Old English potian to thrust; see put

Potter

noun

(Helen) Beatrix. 1866–1943, British author and illustrator of children's animal stories, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
Dennis (Christopher George). 1935–94, British dramatist. His TV plays include Pennies from Heaven (1978), The Singing Detective (1986), and Blackeyes (1989)
Paulus. 1625–54, Dutch painter, esp of animals
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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pottering

potter

"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."

potter

"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.