bottom

Bottom is a common English noun that refers to the lowest or underside part of something, often serving as its base or support. The word derives from Old English botm and is related to Dutch bodem and German Boden, all sharing a sense of ground or foundation.

In everyday language, bottom denotes the lowest portion of an object or space, such as the bottom of a glass, the bottom of a container, the bottom of a hill, or the bottom of a boat’s hull. It can also describe the base layer in a structure or system, and is used in phrases like “at the bottom of,” meaning the deepest or most fundamental part of a situation.

In anatomy and clothing, the term is used informally to refer to the buttocks or hindquarters. It also appears in fashion and apparel as a reference to the lower garment, such as bikini bottoms or swimwear bottoms.

In mathematics and computer science, bottom denotes a special element in a partially ordered set or lattice, often written as ⊥. The bottom element is the least defined or minimal element, used to represent failure, contradiction, or an undefined value in certain logics and semantic frameworks.

Culturally, Bottom is the name of a character in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Bottom is a comical weaver whose head is transformed into that of a donkey by the mischievous Puck, creating a memorable subset of the play’s magical events.

Common figurative uses include phrases like “bottom line” (the final total or result) and “bottom out” (to reach the lowest point, then recover).