pottery

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Bowls, cups, plates, vases, and similar objects made from shaped clay that has been hardened by baking in a kiln.

   Grammar: Uncountable; one item is 'a piece of pottery', never 'a pottery'.

   Patterns

   • a piece of pottery
   • ancient pottery
   • collect pottery

   She collects ancient Greek pottery from small museums.

   A neighbour gave us a beautiful piece of pottery for our wedding.

2. 2noununcountable

   The craft, activity, or business of shaping clay and firing it to make objects.

   Grammar: Uncountable; no article when talking about the activity in general: learn pottery.

   Patterns

   • make pottery
   • learn pottery
   • a pottery class

   He took an evening class to learn pottery.

   My daughter is doing pottery at school this term.

3. 3nouncountableBritish

   A place, such as a workshop or factory, where clay pots and other fired-clay goods are made.

   Grammar: Countable in this sense only; the plural is potteries, meaning workshops, not objects.

   Patterns

   • a working pottery
   • visit a pottery
   • the old potteries

   The old pottery by the canal has been turned into a museum.

   Stoke-on-Trent was once full of working potteries.

Word forms

Common combinations

a piece of pottery

Each guest took home a small piece of pottery.

handmade pottery

The shop sells handmade pottery from local artisans.

a pottery class

I signed up for a pottery class at the community centre.

ancient pottery

Archaeologists dated the site from fragments of ancient pottery.

Synonyms and how they differ

ceramics

Broader and more formal; includes modern industrial and fine-art fired-clay objects, not only traditional pots.

Word family

potter noun

The person who makes pottery.

potter verb

To move about doing small, unhurried jobs (British).

Commonly confused: pottery or porcelain?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pottery”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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