Terracotta comes from Latin and means "fired earth". Terracotta refers to a specific category of ceramic products made from gray,

Designation for a ceramic material made of feldspar, kaolin and quartz, with dense, light-coloured to white shards (term for a fired ceramic mass)

Designation for ceramics which, with or without glaze after the firing process above 1200° C, has a hard, solid and dense body (term for a fired ceramic mass).

Term for low-fired ceramics (below 1100° C) with coloured body (term for a fired ceramic mass), which is porous and water-permeable after the firing process.