What is "turner"

Turner \Turn"er\, n.

1. One who turns; especially, one whose occupation is to form articles with a lathe.

2. (Zo["o]l.) A variety of pigeon; a tumbler.

Turner \Tur"ner\, n. [G.] A person who practices athletic or gymnastic exercises.

c.1400, "one who works a lathe," agent noun from turn (v.). As a surname from late 12c.

Etymology 1 n. 1 A person who turns and shapes wood etc. on a lathe 2 A kitchen utensil used for turning food. 3 (context zoology English) A variety of pigeon; a tumbler. 4 (context cricket English) a very dry pitch on which the ball will turn with ease Etymology 2

n. (context sports English) A person who practices athletic or gymnastic exercises.

Turner is a common surname originating from Normandy, and arriving in England after the Norman conquest with the earliest known records dated in the 12th century. The origin of the name comes from Old French "Le" meaning "The" and "etourneau" meaning "starling", thus giving us LeTourneau (pronounced le turner). Over time the "Le" or "L'" was dropped and in nearly all cases the spelling of the remaining tourneau became Anglicised. Turner is the 28th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.

Early recordings of this surname include Ralph le Turner in the late 12th century. The earliest recorded spelling of this family name dates from 1180 for "Warner le Turnur".

Other claims for the origin of the name Turner which have turned out to be incorrect are Tornai, which is another Norman family, and Tournoire, which is claimed to have come from "The Black Tower" of Normandy, which is yet to be located. The claims of Turner, a lathe worker, and Turnhare, to be as fast as a hare, appear to be happenstance at best and most likely the result of shallow research.

Turner is a small lunar impact crater that lies in the Mare Insularum, near the Moon's equator. It is located to the southeast of the crater Gambart. Turner is a circular, cone-shaped crater with inner walls that slope down to the midpoint. A similar-sized ghost crater is attached to the western rim, its interior floor submerged by lava and the surviving rim broken in the southwest.

Turner was an American racing car constructor. Turner cars competed in one FIA World Championship race - the 1953 Indianapolis 500.

Turner may refer to:

• Turner (surname), a common surname of English derivation
• Turner (given name), a given name of English derivation
• One who uses a lathe for turning
• Turner (utensil), a kitchen utensil closely related to a spatula

Turner is a given name derived from turning

• Turner Ashby (1828–1862), Confederate cavalry commander in the American Civil War
• Turner Barber (1893–1968), professional baseball player for the Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Robins
• Turner Battle (born 1983), American former basketball point guard for the University at Buffalo Bulls
• Turner Cassity (1929–2009), American poet, playwright, and short story writer
• Turner Catledge (1901–1983), American journalist, best known for his work at The New York Times
• Turner Gill (born 1962), currently the head football coach at Liberty University
• Turner A. Gill (1841–1919), Democrat Kansas City Mayor in 1875 and 1876
• Turner Layton (1894–1978), American songwriter, singer and pianist
• Turner M. Marquette (1831–1894), Nebraska Republican politician, the first house representative for the state
• Turner Gustavus Morehead (1814–1892), officer in the Mexican–American War and American Civil War and Brigadier General in the Union Army
• Turner Saunders (1782–1854), noted Methodist preacher
• Turner Stevenson (born 1972), Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers
• Turner Ward (born 1965), former professional baseball player

The Turner family of potters was active in Staffordshire, England 1756-1829. Their manufactures have been compared favourably with, and sometimes confused with, those of Josiah Wedgwood and Sons. Josiah Wedgwood was both a friend and a commercial rival of John Turner the elder, the first notable potter in the family.

John Turner the elder (christened 7 June 1737, St Nicholas Church, Newport, Shropshire24 December 1787) was apprenticed in 1753 to the Staffordshire potter Daniel Bird. By 1756, he was established in a partnership with R. Banks, at Stoke-on-Trent, at a factory which has since been absorbed into the Spode group. In 1759 or 1762, he relocated to Lane End (now part of Longton). Nothing is known about his education; but he knew sufficient French to write his formulations in that language, perhaps as a defence against industrial espionage. The earliest piece reliably attributed to him is a 1762 teapot. In 1775, he installed a Newcomen engine at his pottery. In 1780, he was one of the founders of the New Hall Works at Stoke. About 1780, he discovered a vein of fine clay (called "peacock marl") at Dock Green or Green Dock, Edensor, Derbyshire, which he used to make a wide variety of wares of a "cane" colour. He also made blue glazed pottery similar to Japanese porcelain. He was appointed potter to the Prince of Wales in 1784, and some of his wares are marked with the Prince of Wales's feathers.

John the elder married Ann Emery on 15 October 1759. They had three sons and three daughters; among whom were William (17625 July 1835) and John the younger; he made them partners in his firm about 1780, and they continued it after his death.

Little is known of John the younger. William had been in Paris during the French Revolution, and arrested, and escaped with his life only by the intervention of the British ambassador, Earl Stafford. On 19 January 1800, the brothers were granted a patent for the manufacture of a new kind of stoneware, which has been called "Turner's patent". In 1803, William was a Major in the Longton volunteers. In 1805, the patent rights were sold to Spode; in 1806, the firm was declared bankrupt, allegedly in part because of the turmoil caused by the French revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

William continued in business until the factory was sold in 1829. His bust, by George Ray, is in Stoke-on-Trent City Museum.