Main Entry: ¹bot·tom

Pronunciation: \ˈbä-təm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English botme, from Old English botm; akin to Old High German bodam bottom, Latin fundus, Greek pythmēn

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

— bot·tomed \-təmd\ adjective

— at bottom : really, basically