Word Origin & History
potter (n.)
late O.E. pottere, O.Fr. potier, from root of pot (1). First record of pottery is attested from 1483, "a potter's workshop," from O.Fr. poterie (13c.), from potier. Meaning "pottery-ware" is first recorded 1785. Potter's field (1526) is Biblical, a ground where clay suitable for pottery was dug, later purchased by high priests of Jerusalem as a burying ground for strangers, criminals, and the poor (Matt. xxvii.7).
[pot-er] 
ər