What does pottage mean?
Pottage is an old-fashioned English noun for a simple soup or stew, especially one made by simmering vegetables with other ingredients. It often carries a homely, traditional atmosphere, and in modern English it sounds dated or literary rather than neutral. The term may also denote a miscellaneous mixture, a figurative extension of its culinary sense. Pottage is especially associated with British usage, although dictionaries also record it in American English. Its best-known cultural appearance is biblical: in Genesis, Esua gives his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a “mess of pottage.” The phrase has become a lasting shorthand for a foolish or ill-considered bargain, giving the word a memorable note that ordinary food can carry astonishing consequences. Today, writers may choose pottage for its period flavor, rustic associations, or vivid contrast with modern culinary language. It is useful because it preserves both a concrete food tradition and a rich figurative association.
nounPottage is a soup or stew made by simmering vegetables and other ingredients, traditionally including vegetables and sometimes meat. It can also refer figuratively to a miscellaneous mixture.
- A soup or stew made by simmering vegetables, meat, legumes, or other ingredients.
- A miscellaneous mixture of people, things, or elements.
"For supper, she served a warm bowl of pottage with crusty bread."
"For supper, she served a warm bowl of pottage with crusty bread."
"The story of Esau and Jacob is remembered for the birthright exchanged for a mess of pottage."
The plural is rare and usually unnecessary because pottage can be used as a mass noun.
"The vendor displayed three pottages, each made with a different vegetable."
In Genesis, Esau trades his birthright for a “mess of pottage”—a famously disastrous bargain over a bowl of stew.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pottage come from?
The word entered Middle English from Old French potage, meaning “soup,” from pot, meaning “vessel.” English pot ultimately derives from Latin potus, meaning “drink.” Related English words include pot and potion, while the culinary sense developed into the modern word and its additional figurative meaning.
Related word forms
How pottage is actually used
The word sounds dated or literary in ordinary modern usage and is especially associated with British English. Its figurative sense is now less common than its culinary meaning.
Easily confused with pottage
Pottage is a soup or stew made from vegetables and other ingredients, whereas porridge is a thick, creamy food usually made from grains.
Pottage denotes a food, while portage means the carrying of goods overland, especially between navigable bodies of water.