A hole in a road surface caused by wear and damage from traffic and weather.
From 'pot' (a round container) combined with 'hole.' The term describes how the damage looks—like a pot or crater has been scooped out of the pavement.
Potholes are actually a fascinating example of physics: water seeps into cracks, freezes and expands in winter, then traffic punches holes where the weakened pavement breaks apart!
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