bottle

¹

[ bot-l ]

noun

1. a portable container for holding liquids, characteristically having a neck and mouth and made of glass or plastic.
2. the contents of such a container; as much as such a container contains:

   a bottle of wine.

3. bottled cow's milk, milk formulas, or substitute mixtures given to infants instead of mother's milk:

   raised on the bottle.

4. the bottle, intoxicating beverages; liquor:

   He became addicted to the bottle.

verb (used with object)

, bot·tled, bot·tling.

1. to put into or seal in a bottle:

   to bottle grape juice.

2. British. to preserve (fruit or vegetables) by heating to a sufficient temperature and then sealing in a jar.

verb phrase

1. 1. to repress, control, or restrain:

      He kept all of his anger bottled up inside him.

   2. to enclose or entrap:

      Traffic was bottled up in the tunnel.

bottle

²

[ bot-l ]

noun

, Architecture.

1. boltel ( def 2 ).

bottle

¹

/ ˈbɒtəl /

noun

1. 1. a vessel, often of glass and typically cylindrical with a narrow neck that can be closed with a cap or cork, for containing liquids
   2. ( as modifier )

      a bottle rack

2. Also calledbottleful the amount such a vessel will hold
3. 1. a container equipped with a teat that holds a baby's milk or other liquid; nursing bottle
   2. the contents of such a container

      the baby drank his bottle

4. short for magnetic bottle
5. slang.
   nerve; courage (esp in the phrase lose one's bottle )
6. slang.
   money collected by street entertainers or buskers
7. full bottle slang.
   well-informed and enthusiastic about something
8. the bottle informal.
   drinking of alcohol, esp to excess

verb

1. to put or place (wine, beer, jam, etc) in a bottle or bottles
2. to store (gas) in a portable container under pressure
3. slang.
   to injure by thrusting a broken bottle into (a person)
4. slang.
   (of a busker) to collect money from the bystanders

bottle

²

/ ˈbɒtəl /

noun

1. dialect.
   a bundle, esp of hay

Other Words From

• bottle·like adjective
• well-bottled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bottle¹

1325–75; Middle English botel < Anglo-French; Old French bo ( u ) teille < Medieval Latin butticula, equivalent to Late Latin butti ( s ) butt ⁴ + -cula -cule ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bottle¹

C14: from Old French botaille , from Medieval Latin butticula literally: a little cask, from Late Latin buttis cask, butt ⁴

Origin of bottle²

C14: from Old French botel , from botte bundle, of Germanic origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit the bottle, Slang. to drink alcohol to excess often or habitually.

More idioms and phrases containing bottle

In addition to the idiom beginning with bottle , also see crack a bottle ; hit the bottle .

Example Sentences

It was sold in marketplaces for around 10 cents a bowl and occasionally contained cigarette butts or bottle caps.

From Los Angeles Times

The attempted murders were followed by the death of Dawn Sturgess, 44, in July of that year, after she was exposed to the chemical weapon which was left in a discarded perfume bottle.

From BBC

Hint: It can’t be found at the bottom of a serum bottle or at some luxury doctor’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, the cork comes out of the bottle as Rita lets him have it in the street.

From Los Angeles Times

Patients could simply take a bottle of the white powder from the fridge, mix it with distilled water and inject themselves.

From BBC

Related Words

• glass
• jar
• jug
• urn
• vial