/ ˈbɒtl; NAmE ˈbɑːtl/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a glass or plastic container, usually round with straight sides and a narrow neck, used especially for storing liquids :
a wine / beer / milk bottle
Put the top back on the bottle.
—picture at glass
2.
[ C ] (also bottle·ful / -fʊl; NAmE /) the amount contained in a bottle :
He drank a whole bottle of wine.
3.
the bottle [ sing. ] ( informal ) alcoholic drink :
After his wife died, he really hit the bottle (= started drinking heavily) .
4.
[ C , usually sing. ] a bottle used to give milk to a baby; the milk from such a bottle (used instead of mother's milk) :
It's time for her bottle.
5.
[ U ] ( BrE , informal ) courage or confidence, for example to do sth that is dangerous or unpleasant
SYN nerve :
It took a lot of bottle to do that.
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
to put a liquid into a bottle :
The wines are bottled after three years.
2.
to put fruit or vegetables into glass containers in order to preserve them
► bot·tled adjective :
bottled beer / water / pickles
bottled gas (= sold in metal containers for use in heating and cooking)
•
IDIOMS
- bottle it
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- bottle out (of sth / doing sth)
- bottle sth up
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French boteille , from medieval Latin butticula , diminutive of late Latin buttis cask.