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bottle

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bottle¹

  • /ˈbɒtəl/ Northern England, UK, Wales
  • [ˈbɒtɫ̩] Northern England, UK, Wales
  • /ˈbɔtəl/ British, Scotland, Southern
  • [ˈbɔtɫ̩] British, Scotland, Southern
  • /ˈbɑtəl/ Canada, US
  • /ˈbɑɾɫ̩/ Canada, US
  • /ˈbɔtəl/ Australia
  • [ˈbɔɾɫ̩] Australia
  • /ˈbɒtəl/ New Zealand
  • [ˈbɔ̟ɾɫ̩] ~ [ˈbɞ̠ɾɫ̩] New Zealand
  • /ˈbɔʈɪl/ South Asia
  • /-əl/ South Asia

Rhymes with -ɒtəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English botel (“bottle, flask, wineskin”), from Old French boteille, from Late Latin butticula, diminutive of buttis (“cask”). Doublet of botija.

Displaced native pinne and non-native Old English ampella. Partially displaced Old English flasce.

noun bottles · boddle

  1. A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids. Beer is often sold in bottles.
  2. The contents of such a container. I only drank a bottle of beer.
  3. A container with a rubber nipple used for giving liquids to infants, a baby bottle. The baby wants a bottle.
  4. UK, informal (originally bottle and glass as rhyming slang for "arse") Nerve, courage. You don’t have the bottle to do that!

    Similar: balls, courage, guts, nerve, pluck

  5. attributive, of a person with a particular hair color A container of hair dye, hence with one’s hair color produced by dyeing. Did you know he’s a bottle brunette? His natural hair color is strawberry blonde.
  6. figuratively Intoxicating liquor; alcohol. to drown one’s troubles in the bottle

Similar: baby's bottle, feeding bottle, nursing bottle · Opposite: cowardice

verb bottles · bottling · bottled · boddle

  1. transitive To seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later consumption. Also fig. This plant bottles vast quantities of spring water every day.
  2. UK, transitive To feed (an infant) baby formula. Because of complications she can't breast feed her baby and so she bottles him.
  3. UK, slang To refrain from doing (something) at the last moment because of a sudden loss of courage. The rider bottled the big jump.
  4. UK, slang To throw away a leading position. Arsenal bottled the Premier League.
  5. UK, slang To strike (someone) with a bottle. He was bottled at a nightclub and had to have facial surgery.
  6. UK, slang To pelt (a musical act on stage, etc.) with bottles as a sign of disapproval. Meat Loaf was once bottled at Reading Festival.
  7. intransitive Of pages printed several on a sheet: to rotate slightly when the sheet is folded two or more times. Closely related to creep is the process of bottling. As you may have noticed from your folded sheet of paper, pages don't merely creep when they're folded — they also rotate slightly. This rotation or bottling is caused by the thickness or bulk of the paper.

bottle²

  • /ˈbɒtəl/ Northern England, UK, Wales
  • [ˈbɒtɫ̩] Northern England, UK, Wales
  • /ˈbɔtəl/ British, Scotland, Southern
  • [ˈbɔtɫ̩] British, Scotland, Southern
  • /ˈbɑtəl/ Canada, US
  • /ˈbɑɾɫ̩/ Canada, US
  • /ˈbɔtəl/ Australia
  • [ˈbɔɾɫ̩] Australia
  • /ˈbɒtəl/ New Zealand
  • [ˈbɔ̟ɾɫ̩] ~ [ˈbɞ̠ɾɫ̩] New Zealand
  • /ˈbɔʈɪl/ South Asia
  • /-əl/ South Asia

Rhymes with -ɒtəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English bottle, botel, buttle, from Old English botl (“building, house”), from Proto-West Germanic *bōþl, from Proto-Germanic *budlą, *buþlą, *bōþlą (“house, dwelling, farm”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰōw- (literally “to swell, grow, thrive, be, live, dwell”).

Cognate with North Frisian budel, bodel, bol, boel (“dwelling, inheritable property”), Dutch boedel, boel (“inheritance, estate”), Danish bol (“farm”), Icelandic ból (“dwelling, abode, farm, lair”). Related to Old English bytlan (“to build”). More at build.

noun bottles · boddle

  1. UK, dialectal, obsolete A dwelling; habitation.
  2. UK, dialectal A building; house.

bottle³

  • /ˈbɒtəl/ Northern England, UK, Wales
  • [ˈbɒtɫ̩] Northern England, UK, Wales
  • /ˈbɔtəl/ British, Scotland, Southern
  • [ˈbɔtɫ̩] British, Scotland, Southern
  • /ˈbɑtəl/ Canada, US
  • /ˈbɑɾɫ̩/ Canada, US
  • /ˈbɔtəl/ Australia
  • [ˈbɔɾɫ̩] Australia
  • /ˈbɒtəl/ New Zealand
  • [ˈbɔ̟ɾɫ̩] ~ [ˈbɞ̠ɾɫ̩] New Zealand
  • /ˈbɔʈɪl/ South Asia
  • /-əl/ South Asia

Rhymes with -ɒtəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English botel (“bundle (of hay)”), from Old French botel, ultimately related to modern French botte (“bundle”).

noun bottles · boddle

  1. obsolete A bundle, especially of hay; something tied in a bundle. I was no ſooner in the middle of the pond, but my horſe vaniſht away, and I ſat vpon a bottle of hey, neuer ſo neare drowning in my life: […]

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: cup, jar, vial, bottleneck, teapot, pot, pint, canteen, liquor, booze, whisky, hooch, whiskey, drink, flask, brandy

noun

Similar: baby's bottle, feeding bottle, nursing bottle · Opposite: cowardice

Translations

Every language

noun container

Españolbotella, frasco, bótil, bórol
한국어병 byeong
日本語瓶 bin
中文瓶子 píngzi, 瓶 píng
हिन्दीशीशी śīśī, बोतल botal, शीशा śīśā
Kiswahilichupa
Portuguêsgarrafa, botelha
Françaisbouteille
DeutschFlasche, Bouteille
Italianobottiglia
Ελληνικάμπουκάλι boukáli, φιάλη fiáli
Românăsticlă, butelie
Русскийбуты́лка butýlka, фля́жка fljážka
Tiếng Việtchai
العربيةزُجَاجَة zujāja, قِنِّينَة qinnīna
עבריתבַּקְבּוּק bakbúk

noun bundle

Русскийсноп snop, оха́пка

noun contents of such a container

Españolbotella, frasco
Portuguêsgarrafa
Françaisbouteille
DeutschFlasche
Italianobottiglia
Ελληνικάμπουκάλι boukáli
Românăsticlă
Русскийбуты́лка butýlka
Tiếng Việtchai
עבריתבַּקְבּוּק bakbúk

noun nerve, courage

Españolarrojo, osadía
Françaisculot, cran, courage, couilles, audace
DeutschMumm, Traute, Schneid

noun with one’s hair dyed

Españolde bote

noun figuratively: alcohol

Françaisbouteille, boisson
Русскийбутылка butylka, рюмка rjumka, стакан stakan

verb seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later consumption

Españolembotellar, envasar
Portuguêsengarrafar, embotelhar
Françaisembouteiller, mettre en bouteille
Deutschin Flaschen abfüllen
Italianoimbottigliare
Ελληνικάεμφιαλώνω emfialóno
Русскийбутили́ровать butilírovatʹ
العربيةعَبَّأَ فِي زُجَاجَة ʕabbaʔa fī zujāja
עבריתבִּקְבֵּק bikbék

verb feed (an infant) baby formula

Portuguêsdar mamadeira a
Françaisdonner le biberon à, nourrir au biberon, biberonner
Deutschdie Flasche geben
العربيةيرضع بواسطَة زجاجَة

verb refrain from doing (something) at the last moment because of a sudden loss of courage

Portuguêsentregar, amarelar, broxar
Françaisse dégonfler, se débiner

verb sports: throw away a leading position

Españolpechear

verb strike (someone) with a bottle

Portuguêsdar uma garrafada em (alguém)

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Cite this
MLA

"bottle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bottle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bottle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bottle

Chicago

"bottle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bottle.

BibTeX
@misc{bottle_2026,
  title = {bottle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bottle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}