bottle

Where does the word "bottle" come from? It comes from Late Latin buttis, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Bottle’s story begins in Late Latin: buttis meant “cask.” A Late Latin word for a wine cask, the root of 'butt' and 'butler'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as botele. A diminutive, a little cask. It reached English by 1300s as bottle. 'bottle' for courage is 1950s British slang. Today, bottle means a container with a narrow neck for liquids.

1. Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient buttis "cask", a Late Latin word for a wine cask, the root of 'butt' and 'butler'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval botele "small leather flask", a diminutive, a little cask.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s bottle "a container for liquid", 'bottle' for courage is 1950s British slang.