# pot

Pronunciation: say "POT" US /pɑt/, UK /pɒt/

## Noun

1. A deep, usually round container of metal or earthenware, used for cooking or for storing food.
   - Simple: A deep round container used for cooking food or keeping it in.
   - _He stirred the stew in a cast-iron pot over the fire._
   - _A large pot of pasta was boiling away on the back burner._
2. A container used to hold soil for growing plants, particularly flowers.
   - Simple: A container filled with soil for growing plants, especially flowers.
   - _Each seedling was moved to a larger pot as it grew._
   - _He arranged a row of terracotta pots along the garden wall._
3. A slang term for marijuana, the dried cannabis plant used as a recreational drug. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A slang word for marijuana, the dried plant people smoke to feel high.
   - _The whole apartment smelled of pot when she walked in._
   - _Police found a small bag of pot in the glove compartment._
4. A container for brewing or serving a drink, such as a teapot or coffeepot.
   - Simple: A container used to make or serve hot drinks like coffee or tea.
   - _The waiter brought a steaming pot of green tea to our table._
   - _She warmed the pot before adding the loose leaves._
5. A sum of money pooled together: the total bet in one hand of poker or another game, or a fund set aside for a purpose.
   - Simple: An amount of money collected together, such as all the bets in a card game or money saved for something.
   - _He pushed all his chips into the pot and waited._
   - _The final pot was large enough to cover her losses for the night._
7. Any of the batches that teams or entrants are split into ahead of the draw for a competition, usually based on how highly they are ranked.
   - Simple: One of the groups teams or players are put in, often by rank, before the random draw for a contest.
   - _The defending champions were placed in the top pot for the group-stage draw._
   - _Clubs drawn from the fourth pot usually end up facing at least one favorite in their group._
8. Ruin or deterioration; a slide into a neglected or worthless state. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Ruin, or a state of getting much worse.
   - _The neighborhood went to pot after the factory closed._
   - _Everything has gone to pot since the new rules came in._
9. A small, usually round vessel, often with a lid, that holds or is sold full of a product like paint, face cream, jam, or yogurt.
   - Simple: A small container, usually round with a lid, that holds things like paint, jam, or face cream.
   - _A single pot of that night cream costs more than my weekly groceries._
   - _The hotel breakfast tray came with butter and tiny pots of strawberry jam._
10. A simple device, turned or slid by hand, that adjusts resistance or voltage in an electronic circuit, often to control sound volume. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A small dial or slider that controls how much electricity flows, often to change the volume.
   - _The technician replaced a worn pot that was causing the static._
   - _Each channel on the mixing board has its own volume pot._
11. A pot-shaped trap, lowered into the sea, used for catching lobsters or other seafood.
   - Simple: A trap shaped like a basket, used to catch lobsters or crabs.
   - _She baited the pot and lowered it over the side of the boat._
   - _The crew marked each pot with a colored buoy._
14. Clipping of potshot: a random shot, or a quick, cheap attack on an easy target. *(slang)* — Clipping of potshot (“a haphazard shot; an easy or cheap shot”).
   - Simple: Clipping of potshot. It means a quick, easy criticism or a careless shot.
16. Clipping of potbelly: a round belly that sticks out. *(slang)* — Clipping of potbelly (“a pot-shaped belly, a paunch”).
   - Simple: Clipping of potbelly. It is a casual word for a round, sticking-out belly.
   - _He patted his pot contentedly after the enormous dinner._
   - _Middle age had given him a noticeable pot._
17. A vessel used for urination and defecation, such as a chamber pot; by extension, a toilet or lavatory. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A container used as a toilet, or a casual word for a toilet.
   - _The chambermaid carried the pot down to be emptied at dawn._
   - _He kept a chipped pot beneath the bed for cold winter nights._
18. A crucible: a container used for melting metals or other materials at high temperatures.
   - Simple: A strong container used to melt metal at very high heat.
   - _The foundry's great pot held tons of molten steel._
   - _Ore was fed into the pot and heated until it melted._
20. A pot-shaped extension of metal or earthenware fitted above the top of a chimney flue.
   - Simple: A short pipe of clay or metal on top of a chimney that helps smoke escape.
   - _A row of terracotta pots crowned the rooftops of the old houses._
   - _The mason fitted a new pot over the chimney flue._
22. Clipping of potion: in games, a drink that restores health, magic or another stat. — Clipping of potion.
   - Simple: Clipping of potion. In games, it means a drink that restores health or magic.
   - _He chugged a mana pot to keep casting spells._
   - _She saved her last pot for the final raid._
25. A glass of beer in Australia, of regionally varying size but typically about 285 mL (10 fluid ounces). *(Australia)*
   - Simple: A medium glass of beer in Australia, about 285 milliliters.
   - _He ordered a pot of lager at the crowded Melbourne pub._
   - _In Queensland pubs, a pot of beer is smaller than a schooner, so it suits a quick drink after work._

## Verb

6. To put something, typically a young plant, into a pot of soil for growing.
   - Simple: To put a plant into a pot filled with soil so that it can grow.
   - _He potted the young fern in fresh compost._
   - _Gardeners pot their cuttings once roots appear._
12. To preserve cooked meat or fish by packing it into a pot or jar and sealing it under a layer of fat or butter.
   - Simple: To keep cooked meat or fish fresh by packing it in a pot under a layer of fat or butter.
   - _Farmers potted their meat in fat to last through the cold months._
   - _After Christmas she likes to pot the leftover ham under a layer of clarified butter._
13. In snooker, pool or billiards, to hit a ball into a pocket; of a ball, to go or be able to go into a pocket.
   - Simple: In pool or snooker, to hit a ball into one of the holes at the edge of the table.
   - _He potted the final red with a delicate cut shot._
   - _She managed to pot three balls in a single break._
15. To shoot at or kill an animal or target with a gun, especially with a quick or casual shot.
   - Simple: To shoot at something or kill an animal with a gun, often quickly or without careful aim.
   - _The gamekeeper potted a fox crossing the open field._
   - _Sentries would pot any rider who approached the wall._
19. To secure, gain, or win something, often through skill or effort. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To get or win something, usually after some effort.
   - _The veteran forward potted the winner late in overtime, sending the home crowd into a frenzy._
   - _Coaches expect him to pot at least thirty goals this season if he stays healthy._
21. To set someone on a potty or toilet to relieve themselves, most often a young child during toilet training. *(British)*
   - Simple: To sit a small child on a potty or toilet to teach them.
   - _The nanny potted each child before naptime._
   - _They pot the twins every morning to build a routine._
23. To catch fish, eels, or other water creatures using a pot, a basket-like trap.
   - Simple: To catch fish or eels using a special basket trap called a pot.
   - _The crews pot lobster along the rocky coast each morning._
   - _She had potted several eels before dawn._
24. To score a drop goal, especially in rugby.
   - Simple: To kick and score a drop goal in rugby.
   - _She potted the winning drop goal as time expired._
   - _Top kickers regularly pot drop goals under heavy pressure._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A favorite; a horse that has been heavily backed to win.
- (noun) A traditional unit of volume loosely based on the capacity of a pot.
- (noun) A broad-brimmed iron hat worn as a helmet.
- (noun) A cask with holes in its base, used to let molasses drain out of raw sugar.
- (noun) A drinking vessel of clay or pewter, used for beer or other liquor.
- (noun) A deep hole worn down into limestone, especially one leading into a cave system.
- (noun) A small shallow hole in the ground that players aim for in some marble games.
- (noun) A ceramic or other insulating stand, shaped like a pot, that holds up an electrified third rail and keeps current out of the ground.
- (noun) A hard plaster casing put on a broken limb.
- (noun) A former paper size measuring 12.5 by 15 inches, also spelled pott.
- (verb) To seal an electronic circuit in resin to protect it.
- (verb) To have someone locked up in prison with little delay.
- (verb) To drink alcohol, especially often or by habit.
- (verb) To drain molasses out of sugar by letting it stand in a cask with holes in it.
- (verb) To set a fractured arm or leg in hardened plaster.
- (verb) To raise or lower the sound level gradually using a potentiometer.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4–9, 11–21, 23–25** — From Old English pott and Old French pot, both from Proto-Germanic *puttaz, of uncertain origin (compare Dutch pot, German Pott). The toilet sense comes from the chamber pot, and go to pot probably pictures meat cut up and tossed into the cooking pot.
**Meaning 3** — Its source may be a shortening of Mexican Spanish potiguaya ("cannabis leaves") or of potación de guaya, which literally means "drink of grief." That phrase supposedly named wine or brandy with marijuana buds steeped in it.
**Meaning 10** — A clipping of potentiometer.
**Meaning 22** — A clipping of potion.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pot (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).