What's the Difference Between Pottery and Ceramics?

While many people use the words interchangeably, there is a difference between pottery and ceramics. Ceramic is the name given to objects made from clay that have been fired to a point where it physically and chemically changes. Pottery is a subgroup of ceramics that consists of vessels such as cups, bowl, vases, etc. Ceramic artists however can make a variety more than vessels, such as sculptures, jewelry, wall hangings, etc. In my opinion, it seems like lay people say pottery to let you know they're referring to art. Ceramics of course are used in a variety of other ways such as in carpentry, dentistry, medical applications, etc.