The word bottle can refer to a container of any type but it is usually used for liquids. It can also be slang for an unwelcome comment or reprimand. The meanings of the term have evolved over time, but its roots are in nautical jargon and English-speaking colonial America.
Making and sending messages in bottles has been an entertaining hobby for thousands of years. Whether the message is for a loved one, to send a joke or just to let someone know you are thinking of them, the idea of a bottle travelling to another part of the world and being discovered in the future can be exciting.
In the past, people were very particular about what they put in their bottles. This is because they wanted the contents to remain fresh for as long as possible. This was especially true for medicines, which had to be kept away from light and heat to prevent spoilage. In some cases, it was important to have a lid that could be tightly closed to keep out air and water.
Modern bottle manufacturing and packaging are quite different from the old ways. While some companies still make glass bottles for their products, most use plastic bottles. The production of these bottles is relatively fast and the manufacturing process is more precise than before. This allows for the production of smaller, lighter bottles that are less likely to break. The materials are cheaper, too, which is a good thing for the environment and for the consumer.
Bottle laws, requiring the labeling of all beverages that are sold in containers made of aluminum, are effective and popular in many states. These laws help to reduce the number of aluminum containers in landfills and help to promote recycling. It is important to recycle all aluminum bottles and containers because this material is finite and the earth’s resources are not unlimited.
There are many specialized terms and names for the physical features of bottles. Some of these are collector based, some are technical glassmaking jargon and some are a combination of both. Some of these are defined on this website in the General Bottle Morphology pop-up page. Some are described in other places on this website and elsewhere in the literature.
Finish – The top or lip of the neck on a hand-blown, mouth blown or machine-made bottle (White 1978). See the Bottle Finishes page for more information.
Dimple – A small molded depression or hole on the bottle neck into which the lever wire of a toggle closure device is hooked (White 1978). See this link for a picture.
Applied finish – The “finished” neck on a hand blown or mouth blown bottle, usually with a distinctive upper terminus. See the Bottle Necks & Closures page for more information.
The finish of a bottle is also called a lip or collar. The applied finish is distinguished from the tooled finish by the fact that it was separately formed.