potter's clay

noun

1. a clay, suitably plastic and free of iron and other impurities, for use by potters.

Word History and Origins

Origin of potter's clay¹

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

A story in the Evening Star from 1883 told of workmen digging in the area and finding “potter’s clay of very fine quality” and “human bones” that were “believed to be Native Americans.”

From Washington Post

Nietzsche was the Marx of the right, the original culture warrior who believed that the future belongs to those with the courage to face the nihilism of the present and mold it like potter’s clay.

From New York Times

Fresh masa has a thicker consistency, more like potter’s clay, and it smells like slightly fermented corn syrup, especially if it sits out for 24 hours before you use it.

From Washington Post

The latter consisted of four paddles, three pebbles used as anvils, yellow pigment, two samples of potter's clay, one of clay pounded small, and a sample of fine-crushed rock for tempering.

From Project Gutenberg

The potter's clay derives its origin from several felspathic rocks, which under various influences have been decomposed, and the finest portion washed away, to be collected in natural depressions of the soil, where it has formed beds of various thickness.

From Project Gutenberg