bottom

[bot-uh m] /ˈbɒt əm/
noun
1.
the lowest or deepest part of anything, as distinguished from the top:
the bottom of a hill; the bottom of a page.
Synonyms: base, foot, pedestal.
2.
the under or lower side; underside:
the bottom of a typewriter.
3.
the ground under any body of water:
the bottom of the sea.
4.
Usually, bottoms. Also called bottom land. Physical Geography. low alluvial land next to a river.
5.
Nautical.
  1. the part of a hull between the bilges, including the keel.
  2. the part of a hull that is immersed at all times.
  3. the cargo space in a vessel.
  4. a cargo vessel.
6.
the seat of a chair.
7.
Informal. the buttocks; rump.
8.
the fundamental part; basic aspect.
Synonyms: foundation, groundwork, underlying principle.
9.
bottoms, (used with a plural verb) the bottom part of a two-piece article of clothing, as a bathing suit or the trousers of a pair of pajamas.
10.
the working part of a plow, comprising the plowshare, landside, and moldboard.
11.
the cause; origin; basis:
Try getting to the bottom of the problem.
Synonyms: base, root, heart; ground, cause, beginning, wellspring.
12.
Baseball.
  1. the second half of an inning.
  2. the last three players in the batting order.
13.
lowest limit, especially of dignity, status, or rank:
When people sink that low, they're bound to reach the bottom soon.
14.
Slang. the submissive partner in a sexual relationship or encounter, especially the person who is penetrated in anal intercourse (opposed to top).
15.
Usually, bottoms. Chemistry. the heaviest, least volatile fraction of petroleum, left behind in distillation after more volatile fractions are driven off.
verb (used with object)
16.
to furnish with a bottom.
17.
to base or found (usually followed by on or upon).
18.
to discover the full meaning of (something); fathom.
19.
to bring (a submarine) to rest on the ocean floor:
They had to bottom the sub until the enemy cruisers had passed by.
verb (used without object)
20.
to be based; rest.
21.
to strike against the bottom or end; reach the bottom.
22.
(of an automotive vehicle) to sink vertically, as when bouncing after passing over a bump, so that the suspension reaches the lower limit of its motion:
The car bottomed too easily on the bumpy road.
adjective
23.
of or pertaining to the bottom or a bottom.
24.
located on or at the bottom:
I want the bottom book in the stack.
25.
lowest:
bottom prices.
26.
living near or on the bottom:
A flounder is a bottom fish.
27.
fundamental:
the bottom cause.
Verb phrases
28.
bottom out, to reach the lowest state or level:
The declining securities market finally bottomed out and began to rise.
Idioms
29.
at bottom, in reality; fundamentally:
They knew at bottom that they were only deceiving themselves.
Also, at the bottom.
30.
bet one's bottom dollar,
  1. to wager the last of one's money or resources.
  2. to be positive or assured:
    You can bet your bottom dollar that something will prevent us from leaving on time.
31.
bottoms up, (used interjectionally to announce or urge the downing of one's drink).
32.
hit bottom, to fall into the worst of all possible circumstances: After all those years of flying high, she finally hit bottom.
When the housing market crashed, it really hit bottom, leaving people with houses worth less than their mortgages.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English botme, Old English botm; akin to Old Norse botn, Dutch bodem, German Boden, Latin fundus, Greek pythmḗn, Sanskrit budhná
Related forms
unbottom, verb (used with object)
underbottom, noun
Examples from the web for bottom
  • The amount of water will decrease, until eventually the nuclear core at the bottom is uncovered.
  • The top box will be for the top predator, and the bottom boxes will be for the lowest species on the food chain.
  • Those dark rings in the bottom of your cup arise from fundamental physics.
  • He got toward the base of the face, still well above the bottom, and rounded out of the drop as the surface curvature allowed.
  • But the commission can partially redeem itself by quickly getting to the bottom of some unanswered questions.
  • Join two explorers as they race to the bottom of the world.
  • The truck came by slowly and a spotlight swept the river bottom.
  • If you hold a slinky for the top and drop it, the bottom part seems to stay stationary for a bit.
  • At the bottom of the heap, hideous discrimination persists.
  • Battling furious winds and rain, a team of cavers explores a bleak island at the bottom of the world.
British Dictionary definitions for bottom

bottom

/ˈbɒtəm/
noun
1.
the lowest, deepest, or farthest removed part of a thing: the bottom of a hill
2.
the least important or successful position: the bottom of a class
3.
the ground underneath a sea, lake, or river
4.
touch bottom, to run aground
5.
the inner depths of a person's true feelings (esp in the phrase from the bottom of one's heart)
6.
the underneath part of a thing
7.
(nautical) the parts of a vessel's hull that are under water
8.
(in literary or commercial contexts) a boat or ship
9.
(billiards, snooker) a strike in the centre of the cue ball
10.
a dry valley or hollow
11.
(often pl) (US & Canadian) the low land bordering a river
12.
the lowest level worked in a mine
13.
(esp of horses) staying power; stamina
14.
importance, seriousness, or influence: his views all have weight and bottom
15.
(informal) the buttocks
16.
at bottom, in reality; basically or despite appearances to the contrary: he's a kind man at bottom
17.
be at the bottom of, to be the ultimate cause of
18.
get to the bottom of, to discover the real truth about
19.
knock the bottom out of, to destroy or eliminate
adjective (prenominal)
20.
lowest or last: the bottom price
21.
bet one's bottom dollar on, put one's bottom dollar on, to be absolutely sure of (one's opinion, a person, project, etc)
22.
of, relating to, or situated at the bottom or a bottom: the bottom shelf
23.
fundamental; basic
verb
24.
(transitive) to provide (a chair, etc) with a bottom or seat
25.
(transitive) to discover the full facts or truth of; fathom
26.
usually foll by on or upon. to base or be founded (on an idea, etc)
27.
(intransitive) (nautical) to strike the ground beneath the water with a vessel's bottom
28.
(Austral, mining)
  1. to mine (a hole, claim, etc) deep enough to reach any gold there is
  2. (intransitive) foll by on. to reach (gold, mud, etc) on bottoming
29.
(electronics) to saturate a transistor so that further increase of input produces no change in output
See also bottom out
Word Origin
Old English botm; related to Old Norse botn, Old High German bodam, Latin fundus, Greek puthmēn
Word Origin and History for bottom
n.

Old English botm, bodan "ground, soil, foundation, lowest part," from Proto-Germanic *buthm- (cf. Old Frisian boden "soil," Old Norse botn, Dutch bodem, Old High German bodam, German Boden "ground, earth, soil"), from PIE root *bhu(n)d(h)- (cf. Sanskrit budhnah, Avestan buna- "bottom," Greek pythmen "foundation," Latin fundus "bottom, piece of land, farm," Old Irish bond "sole of the foot"). Meaning "posterior of a person" is from 1794. Bottom dollar "the last dollar one has" is from 1882. Bottom-feeder, originally of fishes, is from 1866.

v.

1540s, "to put a bottom on," from bottom (n.). Meaning "to reach the bottom of" is from 1808 (earlier figuratively, 1785). Related: Bottomed; bottoming.

Slang definitions & phrases for bottom

bottom

noun

The buttocks; ass (1790s+)


Bottom

Related Terms

foggy bottom


bottom in Technology

theory
The least defined element in a given domain.
Often used to represent a non-terminating computation.
(In LaTeX, bottom is written as \perp, sometimes with the domain as a subscript).
(1997-01-07)

Idioms and Phrases with bottom

bottom

also see: