Clay

A group of very fine grained hydrous minerals. Often used to refer to a particular claybody.

Handbuild

As opposed to throw. Pieces are constructed from slabs, coils, lumps or really any shape. Components are attached to each other using some basic joinery techniques, such as slipping and scoring. Handbuilding is extremely versatile; you can make pretty much anything you can imagine as long as it doesn’t violate the laws of physics.

Throw

Throwing, in the context of pottery means working on the wheel. This comes from the second step of the process. First you form a ball of clay, then you “throw” it down on the center of the wheel. Some people prefer to smack it down instead of literally throwing it, but we still call it throwing.