potted

Everyday

1. Growing in a pot: a potted plant lives in a flowerpot, not in the ground. tree →
2. (food) Cooked meat or fish pressed into a small pot or jar and covered with fat or butter so it keeps: «potted shrimps», «potted meat». tree →
3. Made short and simple: «a potted history» tells a long story in a few lines. tree →
4. Past form of the verb «pot»: put a plant in a pot, or (snooker, pool) knock a ball into a pocket. tree →

In the lessons

In The Wind in the Willows the Rat packs a famous picnic basket with cold chicken, cold tongue, cold ham, cold beef, pickled gherkins, salad, French rolls, cress sandwiches, «potted meat», ginger beer, lemonade and soda water: potted meat was a spread for sandwiches. In the science classroom we grow potted plants and measure them. Phrases: «a potted plant», «potted meat», «a potted history/biography».

Examples

• We put a potted plant on each windowsill in the classroom. tree →
• Mum bought a jar of potted shrimps at the seaside. tree →
• The Rat's basket was full of good things, including potted meat. tree →
• Our teacher gave us a potted history of the Romans in five minutes. tree →
• He potted the black ball and won the game of pool. tree →
• I potted the seedlings into bigger pots. tree →
• The potted geranium needs watering every few days. tree →

Note

«potted» has double t because «pot» is a short word ending in one vowel and one consonant: pot → potted, potting. Not the same as «spotted» (having spots).