What does bottle mean?
A bottle is a rigid container with a narrow neck and typically no handle, designed to hold liquids such as water, wine, milk, or medicine. Made most often from glass or plastic, bottles are sealed with caps, corks, or stoppers to preserve their contents. Beyond its role as an everyday object, the word functions as a verb: breweries, dairies, and wineries 'bottle' their products, sealing them into individual containers for sale. Figuratively, 'bottling' can describe suppressing emotion, as when someone 'bottles up' feelings rather than expressing them. In British slang, having 'bottle' means possessing courage or nerve, though this sense is regional. The word derives from medieval Latin butticula, a small cask, entering English through Old French during the Middle Ages. From reusable flasks to single-use plastics, bottles are so embedded in daily life that the word carries both mundane and cultural weight, appearing constantly in commerce, cooking, recycling debates, and idioms alike.
A container, typically made of glass or plastic, with a narrow neck and mouth, used for storing and dispensing liquids.
"She poured the olive oil from a green glass bottle."
Often preceded by the name of the liquid it holds, e.g. 'a bottle of ketchup'.
To put a liquid into bottles, especially commercially, for preservation, transport, or sale.
"The brewery has bottled its flagship ale at the same site since 1898."
Commonly used in passive constructions: 'the wine was bottled last year'.
Regular plural; used for multiple containers or multiple units of a bottled product.
"We collected three empty bottles after the picnic."
The word 'bottle' traces back over six centuries to medieval Latin butticula — a diminutive meaning 'small cask' — proving that even our everyday containers started as something grander.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bottle
The English word 'bottle' originates from medieval Latin 'butticula', a diminutive of 'butta' meaning a cask, itself possibly of Gaulish origin. It passed into Old French as 'bouteille' before entering Middle English in the fourteenth century. Cognates survive in French ('bouteille') and Spanish ('botella').
Related word forms
How bottle is actually used
As a verb, 'bottle' is common in commercial contexts (brewing, winemaking). The British informal sense 'lose one's bottle' (to lose courage) is distinctly regional and absent from American usage.
Easily confused with bottle
Battle is a fight or combat between forces, while bottle is a container for liquids — they share similar spelling but entirely unrelated meanings.
Boil refers to heating liquid until it bubbles; bottle is a container or the act of filling one.