Definition

A piece of broken pottery, often found in archaeological sites.

Example

The archaeologist discovered a potsherd while digging at the ancient site.

Conversation

I found a really interesting potsherd while hiking yesterday.

Oh, that's cool! What did it look like?

It was colorful and had some unique patterns on it.

That sounds like a great find; I love discovering things like that!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Potshard is formed from "pot" (from Old English *pott*, meaning a container for cooking) and "shard" (from Old English *sceard*, meaning a fragment or piece). The word "potshard" refers to a fragment or piece of a broken pot.

Memory Tip

Think of a 'pot' as a cooking container and 'shard' as a piece or fragment — together, a potshard is a piece of a broken pot.

Visually Confused Words