You know what a pothole is. But did you know where the term actually originated from? It’s an interesting little thing.

The term “pothole” comes out of the middle ages. and it really is related to pots.

Cooking pots in the middle ages were made out of clay. Well, they still are being made that way. The drawing I have here shows a pretty standard type of cooking pot called a pipkin. It had a round bottom so heat would be distributed evenly. And it had three legs so you could stand it up right in a fire.

Clay is heavy and a potter wanted to spend his or her time making pots not lugging clay long distances. So….

So if a potter found a rich vein of clay in the road or on the side of the road he would dig it right up! And leave a hole behind, right in the road or along the side of the road.

That clay would be turned into a pot.

And hence the term “pothole”.

It’s a hole in the road that a potter dug up so he could make a pot.

I love this kind of thing!

Now I have a question for you. Do you know where the term “undermine” originated from? Or how about “The Daily Grind”?

Stay tuned to my blog and I will fill you in on these.