Potsherd (noun)

A fragment of broken pottery, often used by archaeologists to reconstruct and study ancient cultures.

Origin:

From middle english potesherde, from old english potserd, from pot 'pot' + sceard 'fragment'.

Examples:

1. The archaeologist carefully examined the potsherds, looking for clues about the daily lives of the people who had lived in the area.
2. Many potsherds were found at the ancient village site, and researchers were able to piece together a complete pot from the fragments.
3. The potsherds were used to determine the types of pottery that were produced in the region, and how they changed over time.
4. The small size of the potsherd made it difficult for researchers to determine what was originally painted on the surface of the pot.
5. The presence of a large number of potsherds at a site indicated that pottery production was an important industry in the area.