Any clay object that has been formed but has not yet gone through a bisque firing. It encompasses all stages of unfired clay, from wet and workable to leather-hard and completely bone dry. At the bone-dry stage, it is extremely brittle and vulnerable to breakage.
Heard on the job
Don't pick up that platter by the rim, the greenware is bone dry and will snap right off.
Insider tip
Never handle bone-dry greenware by its handles or thin edges, as it has zero structural strength before the first firing.