Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pot” come from?

Pot comes from Middle English pot, from Old French pot, from Middle Dutch pote, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European budn-.

pot (English): A flat-bottomed vessel used for cooking food;...

Definitions

  1. A flat-bottomed vessel used for cooking food;...

Ancestry of “pot”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishpotA pot; a circular receptacle or vessel; The top...
2Old Frenchpotpot; third-person singular present indicative of...
3Vulgar Latinpottum—
4Frankish*pott—
5Proto-Germanicputtazpot, jar, tub
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbudn-a kind of vessel; type of vessel; a type of...

Words derived from “pot”

  • pots
  • teapot
  • potty
  • potluck
  • pothole
  • crackpot
  • flowerpot
  • potbellied
  • stockpot
  • potholed
  • potbelly
  • honeypot
  • dashpot
  • inkpot
  • repot
  • pothead
  • hotpot
  • potholder
  • sexpot
  • potpie
  • stewpot
  • potman
  • potshot
  • potboy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European budn- →