Adjacent Words

Bottom definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BOT'TOM, n.
1. The lowest part of any thing; as the bottom of a well, vat or ship; the bottom of a hill.
2. The ground under any body of water; as the bottom of the sea, of a river or lake.
3. The foundation or ground work of any thing, as of an edifice,or of any system or moral subject; the base, or that which supports any superstructure.
4. A low ground; a dale; a valley; applied in the U. States to the flat lands adjoining rivers, etc. It is so used in some parts of England.
5. The deepest part; that which is most remote from the view; as, let us examine this subject to the bottom.
6. Bound; limit.
There is no bottom in my voluptuousness.
7. The utmost extent or depth of cavity, or of intellect, whether deep or shallow.
I do see the bottom of justice Shallow.
8. The foundation, considered as the cause, spring or origin; the first moving cause; as, a foreign prince is at the bottom of the confederacy.
9. A ship or vessel. Goods imported in foreign bottoms pay a higher duty, than those imported in our own. Hence, a state of hazard,chance or risk; but in this sense it is used chiefly or solely in the singular. We say, venture not too much in one bottom; that is, do not hazard too much at a single risk.
10. A ball of thread.
11. The bottom of a lane or alley, is the lowest end. This phrase supposed a declivity; but it is often used for the most remote part, when there is very little declivity.
12. The bottom of beer, or other liquor,is the grounds or dregs.
13. In the language of jockeys, stamina, native strength; as a horse of good bottom.
BOT'TOM, v.t. To found or build upon; to fix upon as a support; followed by on; as, sound reasoning is bottomed on just premises.
1. To furnish with a seat or bottom; as, to bottom a chair.
2. To wind round something, as in making a ball of thread.
BOT'TOM, v.i. To rest upon, as its ultimate support.
Find on what foundation a proposition bottoms.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: situated at the bottom or lowest position; "the bottom drawer" [ant: side, top]
2: the lowest rank; "bottom member of the class" n
1: the lower side of anything [syn: bottom, underside, undersurface]
2: the lowest part of anything; "they started at the bottom of the hill"
3: the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?" [syn: buttocks, nates, arse, butt, backside, bum, buns, can, fundament, hindquarters, hind end, keister, posterior, prat, rear, rear end, rump, stern, seat, tail, tail end, tooshie, tush, bottom, behind, derriere, fanny, ass]
4: the second half of an inning; while the home team is at bat [syn: bottom, bottom of the inning] [ant: top, top of the inning]
5: a depression forming the ground under a body of water; "he searched for treasure on the ocean bed" [syn: bed, bottom]
6: low-lying alluvial land near a river [syn: bottomland, bottom]
7: a cargo ship; "they did much of their overseas trade in foreign bottoms" [syn: bottom, freighter, merchantman, merchant ship] v
1: provide with a bottom or a seat; "bottom the chairs"
2: strike the ground, as with a ship's bottom
3: come to understand [syn: penetrate, fathom, bottom]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English botme, from Old English botm; akin to Old High German bodam bottom, Latin fundus, Greek pythm?n Date: before 12th century 1. a. the underside of something b. a surface (as the seat of a chair) designed to support something resting on it — used figuratively in phrases like the bottom dropped out to describe a sudden collapse or downturn <lost millions when the bottom dropped out of the stock market> c. the posterior end of the trunk ; buttocks, rump 2. the surface on which a body of water lies 3. a. the part of a ship's hull lying below the water b. boat, ship 4. a. the lowest part or place <the bottom of the page> b. the remotest or inmost point c. the lowest or last place in point of precedence <started work at the bottom> d. the part of a garment worn on the lower part of the body; especially the pants of pajamas — usually used in plural e. the last half of an inning of baseball f. the bass or baritone instruments of a band 5. bottomland — usually used in plural 6. basis, source <trying to get to the bottom of these rumors> 7. capacity (as of a horse) to endure strain 8. a foundation color applied to textile fibers before dyeing 9. a fundamental quark that accounts for the existence and lifetime of upsilon particles and has an electric charge of - 1/3 and a measured energy of approximately 5 GeV; also the flavor characterizing this particle • bottomed adjective II. verb Date: 1520 transitive verb 1. to furnish with a bottom 2. to provide a foundation for 3. to bring to the bottom 4. to get to the bottom of intransitive verb 1. to become based 2. to reach the bottom 3. to reach a point where a decline is halted or reversed — usually used with out <the team bottomed out in last place> • bottomer noun III. adjective Date: 1561 1. of, relating to, or situated at the bottom <bottom rock> 2. frequenting the bottom <bottom fish>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n., adj., & v. --n. 1 a the lowest point or part (bottom of the stairs). b the part on which a thing rests (bottom of a saucepan). c the underneath part (scraped the bottom of the car). d the furthest or inmost part (bottom of the garden). 2 colloq. a the buttocks. b the seat of a chair etc. 3 a the less honourable, important, or successful end of a table, a class, etc. (at the bottom of the list of requirements). b a person occupying this place (he's always bottom of the class). 4 the ground under the water of a lake, a river, etc. (swam until he touched the bottom). 5 the basis; the origin (he's at the bottom of it). 6 the essential character; reality. 7 Naut. a the keel or hull of a ship. b a ship, esp. as a cargo-carrier. 8 staying power; endurance. --adj. 1 lowest (bottom button). 2 last (got the bottom score). --v. 1 tr. put a bottom to (a chair, saucepan, etc.). 2 intr. (of a ship) reach or touch the bottom. 3 tr. find the extent or real nature of; work out. 4 tr. (usu. foll. by on) base (an argument etc.) (reasoning bottomed on logic). 5 tr. touch the bottom or lowest point of. Phrases and idioms: at bottom basically, essentially. be at the bottom of have caused. bet one's bottom dollar sl. stake all. bottom dog = UNDERDOG. bottom drawer Brit. linen etc. stored by a woman in preparation for her marriage. bottom falls out collapse occurs. bottom gear see GEAR. bottom line colloq. the underlying or ultimate truth; the ultimate, esp. financial, criterion. bottom out reach the lowest level. bottoms up! a call to drain one's glass. bottom up upside-down. get to the bottom of fully investigate and explain. knock the bottom out of prove (a thing) worthless. Derivatives: bottommost adj. Etymology: OE botm f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bottom Bot"tom (b[o^]t"t[u^]m), n. [OE. botum, botme, AS. botm; akin to OS. bodom, D. bodem, OHG. podam, G. boden, Icel. botn, Sw. botten, Dan. bund (for budn), L. fundus (for fudnus), Gr. pyqmh`n (for fyqmh`n), Skr. budhna (for bhudhna), and Ir. bonn sole of the foot, W. bon stem, base. [root]257. Cf. 4th Found, Fund, n.] 1. The lowest part of anything; the foot; as, the bottom of a tree or well; the bottom of a hill, a lane, or a page. Or dive into the bottom of the deep. --Shak. 2. The part of anything which is beneath the contents and supports them, as the part of a chair on which a person sits, the circular base or lower head of a cask or tub, or the plank floor of a ship's hold; the under surface. Barrels with the bottom knocked out. --Macaulay. No two chairs were alike; such high backs and low backs and leather bottoms and worsted bottoms. --W. Irving. 3. That upon which anything rests or is founded, in a literal or a figurative sense; foundation; groundwork. 4. The bed of a body of water, as of a river, lake, sea. 5. The fundament; the buttocks. 6. An abyss. [Obs.] --Dryden. 7. Low land formed by alluvial deposits along a river; low-lying ground; a dale; a valley. ``The bottoms and the high grounds.'' --Stoddard. 8. (Naut.) The part of a ship which is ordinarily under water; hence, the vessel itself; a ship. My ventures are not in one bottom trusted. --Shak. Not to sell the teas, but to return them to London in the same bottoms in which they were shipped. --Bancroft. Full bottom, a hull of such shape as permits carrying a large amount of merchandise. 9. Power of endurance; as, a horse of a good bottom. 10. Dregs or grounds; lees; sediment. --Johnson. At bottom, At the bottom, at the foundation or basis; in reality. ``He was at the bottom a good man.'' --J. F. Cooper. To be at the bottom of, to be the cause or originator of; to be the source of. [Usually in an opprobrious sense.] --J. H. Newman. He was at the bottom of many excellent counsels. --Addison. To go to the bottom, to sink; esp. to be wrecked. To touch bottom, to reach the lowest point; to find something on which to rest.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bottom Bot"tom, n. [OE. botme, perh. corrupt. for button. See Button.] A ball or skein of thread; a cocoon. [Obs.] Silkworms finish their bottoms in . . . fifteen days. --Mortimer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bottom Bot"tom, v. t. To wind round something, as in making a ball of thread. [Obs.] As you unwind her love from him, Lest it should ravel and be good to none, You must provide to bottom it on me. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bottom Bot"tom, a. Of or pertaining to the bottom; fundamental; lowest; under; as, bottom rock; the bottom board of a wagon box; bottom prices. Bottom glade, a low glade or open place; a valley; a dale. --Milton. Bottom grass, grass growing on bottom lands. Bottom land. See 1st Bottom, n., 7.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bottom Bot"tom, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bottomed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bottoming.] 1. To found or build upon; to fix upon as a support; -- followed by on or upon. Action is supposed to be bottomed upon principle. --Atterbury. Those false and deceiving grounds upon which many bottom their eternal state]. --South. 2. To furnish with a bottom; as, to bottom a chair. 3. To reach or get to the bottom of. --Smiles.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bottom Bot"tom, v. i. 1. To rest, as upon an ultimate support; to be based or grounded; -- usually with on or upon. Find on what foundation any proposition bottoms. --Locke. 2. To reach or impinge against the bottom, so as to impede free action, as when the point of a cog strikes the bottom of a space between two other cogs, or a piston the end of a cylinder.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bottoms, bottoming, bottomed) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. The bottom of something is the lowest or deepest part of it. He sat at the bottom of the stairs... Answers can be found at the bottom of page 8. ...the bottom of the sea. ? top N-COUNT: usu the N in sing, oft N of n 2. The bottom thing or layer in a series of things or layers is the lowest one. There's an extra duvet in the bottom drawer of the cupboard. ? top ADJ: ADJ n 3. The bottom of an object is the flat surface at its lowest point. You can also refer to the inside or outside of this surface as the bottom. Spread the onion slices on the bottom of the dish. ...the bottom of their shoes. ...a suitcase with a false bottom. = base N-COUNT: usu the N in sing, usu with supp 4. If you say that the bottom has dropped or fallen out of a market or industry, you mean that people have stopped buying the products it sells. (BUSINESS, JOURNALISM) The bottom had fallen out of the city's property market. N-SING: the N 5. The bottom of a street or garden is the end farthest away from you or from your house. (BRIT; in AM, usually use end) ...the Cathedral at the bottom of the street. = end N-SING: the N, usu N of n 6. The bottom of a table is the end farthest away from where you are sitting. The bottom of a bed is the end where you usually rest your feet. (BRIT; in AM, usually use end) Malone sat down on the bottom of the bed. = end N-SING: the N, usu N of n 7. The bottom of an organization or career structure is the lowest level in it, where new employees often start. He had worked in the theatre for many years, starting at the bottom. ...a contract researcher at the bottom of the pay scale. ? top N-SING: the N, oft N of n 8. If someone is bottom or at the bottom in a survey, test, or league their performance is worse than that of all the other people involved. He was always bottom of the class... The team is close to bottom of the League. ? top N-SING: the N, also no det 9. Your bottom is the part of your body that you sit on. If there was one thing she could change about her body it would be her bottom. N-COUNT: oft poss N 10. The lower part of a bikini, tracksuit, or pair of pyjamas can be referred to as the bottoms or the bottom. She wore blue tracksuit bottoms. ...a skimpy bikini bottom. ? top N-COUNT: usu pl, oft n N 11. see also -bottomed, rock bottom 12. You use at bottom to emphasize that you are stating what you think is the real nature of something or the real truth about a situation. The two systems are, at bottom, conceptual models... At bottom, such an attitude is born not of concern for your welfare, but out of fear of losing you. PHRASE: PHR with cl [emphasis] 13. If something is at the bottom of a problem or unpleasant situation, it is the real cause of it. Often I find that anger and resentment are at the bottom of the problem. PHRASE: PHR n 14. You can say that you mean something from the bottom of your heart to emphasize that you mean it very sincerely. I'm happy, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart... I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. PHRASE: heart inflects, PHR after v, PHR with cl [emphasis] 15. If you want to get to the bottom of a problem, you want to solve it by finding out its real cause. I have to get to the bottom of this mess. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 16. to scrape the bottom of the barrel: see barrel

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bot'-um: Rendered by several Hebrew words:

(1) sheresh, "root"; Chaldaic, shoresh (Job 36:30, "the bottom of the sea").

(2) qarqa', "soil," "pavement of tesserae" (Am 9:3).

(3) qetsebh, "cutting," "chop," "extremity" (Jon 2:6, "the bottoms of the mountains").

(4) rephidhah, "railing," "couch" (So 3:10, "the bottom thereof of gold").

(5) cheq, "bosom," "lap" (Eze 43:13,14,17, the Revised Version, margin "hollow").

(6) metsullah, "to be dark," "shadowy place," from primitive root tsalal, "to tumble down," i.e. "settle"; hence, the idea of a valley ("the myrtle-trees that were in the bottom," Zec 1:8 the Revised Version, margin "shady place"). The prophet may have been wont to frequent the myrtle grove in the glen or bottoms, in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, for meditation and prayer (BTP, II, 283).

M. O. Evans

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Lowest part, base, foot. 2. Foundation, basis, groundwork, base. 3. Dale, valley, meadow, alluvial land. 4. Ship, vessel, sailing craft. 5. Fundament, seat, buttocks. 6. Seat (of a chair). 7. Stamina, native strength, power of endurance. 8. Grounds, lees, dregs, sediments. II. v. a. Found, establish, build. III. v. n. Rest (for support), be based.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A polite term for the posteriors. Also, in the sporting sense, strength and spirits to support fatigue; as a bottomed horse. Among bruisers it is used to express a hardy fellow, who will bear a good beating.

Moby Thesaurus

argosy, arse, ass, at bottom, backbone, backside, bark, basal, base, basement, basic, basically, basin, basis, baygall, bed, bedrock, behind, belly, best, boat, bog, bottom glade, bottomland, bottommost, bottoms, breech, bucket, buffalo wallow, bum, butt, buttocks, can, cause, channel, chutzpah, coulee, courage, craft, cut, dale, dell, depths, derriere, dingle, duff, end, essentiality, essentially, establish, everglade, fanny, fen, fenland, floor, foot, footing, found, foundation, foundational, fundament, fundamentally, gameness, gap, gill, giveaway, glade, glen, gluteus maximus, grit, ground, groundwork, grove, guts, gutsiness, guttiness, half-price, heart, heart of oak, heinie, hindquarters, hog wallow, holm, hooker, hulk, hull, in reality, in truth, intervale, intestinal fortitude, keel, keister, leviathan, low, lower strata, lowermost, lowest, lowest level, lowest point, lunar rill, marais, marish, marked down, marrow, marsh, marshland, meadow, mere, mettle, mettlesomeness, mire, moor, moorland, morass, moss, moxie, mud, mud flat, nadir, nerve, nethermost, nub, ocean bottom, origin, packet, pass, peat bog, pith, pluck, pluckiness, posterior, prat, predicate, primary, quagmire, quicksand, quintessence, quintessential, radical, ravine, really, rear, rear end, reduced, rest, rock-bottom, rump, sacrificial, salt marsh, seat, ship, slashed, slob land, slough, sole, sough, soul, source, spirit, spunk, spunkiness, stamina, stay, stout heart, strath, stuff, substance, substructure, sump, swale, swamp, swampland, taiga, toughness, trench, trough, true grit, truly, tub, tuchis, tush, tushy, underbelly, underlying, underlying level, undermost, underneath, underpinning, underside, vale, valley, vessel, virtuality, wadi, wallow, wash, watercraft