這個拼法底下其實是2個不同的字，意思沒有關係， 只是長得一樣。下面分開列出來。跳到 陶藝家／陶匠 · （悠閒地）忙東忙西／閒晃
potter
n核心畫面
Picture two wet hands on a lump of grey clay while a flat wheel turns underneath. The sides of a bowl rise between the fingers. Later the shape goes into a very hot oven and comes out hard. The person doing all that is a potter — the word is simply pot with the -er ending that gives us teacher and driver.
「可以想成一雙濕的手，扶著一團灰色的黏土，底下有一個轉盤在轉。碗的邊就從手指之間立起來。做好以後拿去高溫燒，軟的變硬…更多收起
「可以想成一雙濕的手，扶著一團灰色的黏土，底下有一個轉盤在轉。碗的邊就從手指之間立起來。做好以後拿去高溫燒，軟的變硬的。做這件事的人就是 potter。這個字就是 pot 加上 -er，跟 teacher、driver 的組合方式一樣。」From the word’s history
From Middle English pottere, from Old English pottere, formed from pot plus the -er ending that means the person who does something.
「這個字從中古英文 pottere 來，再往前是古英文 pottere，構成方式就是 pot 加上表示「做這件事的人」的 -er。所以字面上，它一開始就是「做罐子的人」。」
Wiktionary entry for potter (etymology 1), supplied in this packet (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:989430435): from Middle English pottere, Old English pottere, equivalent to pot + -er.
A second word, same spelling
potter
v核心畫面
Picture someone moving slowly round a garden on a free morning. A plant gets water, a pot gets moved, a leaf gets picked up. Nothing has to be finished and nobody is waiting. The hands keep touching one small thing after another, and the hour goes by comfortably. That is pottering, and it has nothing to do with clay.
「可以想成一個人在放假的早上，在花園裡慢慢地走來走去。澆一下這盆。把那盆挪個位置。撿起一片葉子。沒有一件事非做完不可…更多收起
「可以想成一個人在放假的早上，在花園裡慢慢地走來走去。澆一下這盆。把那盆挪個位置。撿起一片葉子。沒有一件事非做完不可，也沒有人在等。手一直輕輕碰著一樣又一樣小東西，一個上午就這樣舒服地過去了。這就是 potter 這個動詞，跟黏土沒有關係。」From the word’s history
A frequentative of the old verb pote, meaning to poke — so the idea inside it is poking at one thing after another, again and again, without any large purpose.
「這個動詞是舊動詞 pote（戳、撥）的反覆形，也就是「一下又一下地戳」。這條線索正好對上今天的意思：東碰一下、西碰一下，沒有什麼大目的。它跟做陶的 potter 不同源，只是拼法一樣。」
Wiktionary entry for potter (etymology 2), supplied in this packet (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:989475864): frequentative of pote, cognate with Dutch poteren, peuteren (to poke, pry, search).