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)

bottled, bottling 

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. bottle up

   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.

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 called: bottleful. 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. slang,  well-informed and enthusiastic about something

8. 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 Word Forms

• bottlelike adjective
• well-bottled 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, to drink alcohol to excess often or habitually.

More idioms and phrases containing bottle

• crack a bottle
• hit the bottle

Example Sentences

A young woman walked by; someone threw a beer bottle at her.

From Los Angeles Times

"I don't know how you put the genie back in the bottle but the issue is among us and we can't row back," she says.

From BBC

At least 11 businesses have been closed and more than 10,000 bottles of alcohol seized by authorities.

From BBC

He said police vans were also damaged and constables "pelted with" bottles, eggs and fireworks.

From BBC

He feeds her salmon and bottled water; no impurities for his girl, who has Russian and Danish lineage and is as smart as she is sweet, according to the proudest of dog owners.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• glass 
• jar 
• jug 
• urn 
• vial