bottom

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   the lowest rank

   bottom member of the class

2. 2
   noun

   a cargo ship

   they did much of their overseas trade in foreign bottoms

3. 3
   noun

   the lowest part of anything

   they started at the bottom of the hill

4. 4
   verb

   to strike the ground, as with a ship's bottom

   We bottomed but when the tide came back in we were able to continue on.

5. 5
   verb

   to provide with a bottom or a seat

   They bottomed the chairs when asked.

6. 6
   noun

   The lowest part of anything.

   barrels with the bottoms knocked out

7. 7
   noun

   The remotest or innermost part of something.

   Near-synonym: fundus (anatomical)

8. 8
   noun

   The fundamental part; a basic aspect.

   get to the bottom of it

Etymology

PIE word *bʰudʰmḗn From Middle English botme, botom, from Old English botm, bodan (“bottom, foundation; ground, abyss”), from Proto-West Germanic *butm, from Proto-Germanic *butmaz, *budmaz (“bottom; ground”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn (“bottom”). Cognates Cognate with Yola bothom, bottom (“bottom”), Saterland Frisian Boudem (“floor; ground”), West Frisian boaiem (“floor; ground”), Dutch bodem, boom, boôm (“bottom; ground, soil”), German Boden (“floor; ground; soil”), Limburgish baom (“bottom; ground, soil”), Luxembourgish Buedem (“bottom; earth, soil”), Vilamovian bödum (“bottom; gr…