crockery
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of crockery
Explanation
Dishes — plates, bowls, and cups — are crockery. If you don't have a dishwasher, you'll have to wash all the crockery from your dinner party by hand. Crockery most often refers to everyday ceramic tableware, rather than fine, expensive china. You'll set the table with crockery when the occasion is too formal for paper plates but not fancy enough for porcelain. The word crockery arose in the eighteenth century from the now-obsolete crocker, or "potter," which in turn came from the Old English croc, "pot or vessel."
Vocabulary lists containing crockery
The Devil's Arithmetic
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Massive haul of Roman Empire crockery and swords hidden in Swiss lake.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Ms. Wilson recounts more than 30 of the stories she gathered from people about the powerful lure their crockery seem to possess.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
Another local, 48-year-old Sally Ilan, clutched some crockery she managed to salvage from the ruins of her parents' home.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2025
Only reusable cups and crockery are available to use.
From Salon • Aug. 3, 2024
Mandy lived with us as cook and godmother of our children—and secret performer of small magic to protect us from colds, broken crockery, and the sundry inconveniences of a royal household.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
