A narrow-necked bottle used for holding liquids or semiliquids, often with a stopper or cap to prevent spillage or evaporation. Also known as a flask or a wineskin.
The glass bottle is a universal container for water, milk, beer, wine, soft drinks, syrups, juices, and other foods and beverages. It can be made from a wide variety of materials, such as glass or plastic. The bottle may be shaped to fit the hand and mouth of the drinker, or it may be made with an ergonomic design that makes it easy to hold and use. It is most frequently made from clear or colorless glass, but may be produced in a wide range of shapes and sizes, as well as from a variety of plastics.
The bottle is a ubiquitous container, but its history and evolution are not so simple. The history of the bottle is closely linked to that of chemistry and glass making. The evolution of a clear bottle from the dark green to the amber and blue hues we know today is a fascinating tale of scientific investigation, technological development, and commercialization.
Historically, the bottles that were available to the consumer were not very clear; the majority of them had a greenish tinge or tint and many had an unpleasant smell and taste. This is because the raw materials used to manufacture most bottles at that time were not of the highest quality. The result was a very poorly produced product with poor clarity and other problems, such as a tendency to break easily.
Glass bottle production techniques improved during the 19th century and by the turn of the 20th century, most of the major glass producers were producing very clear bottles. However, the quality of the raw material continued to deteriorate. In the early 1970s, manufacturers began to switch to higher-quality raw materials that would produce a more clear and attractive product with fewer problems during manufacturing.
A bottle episode is an episode of a television show that is filmed entirely on one prebuilt set, uses a relatively small cast of main characters and includes minimal or no special effects. A bottle episode is usually cheaper and faster to produce than a regular episode.
The glossary contains many terms that are collector based, technical glassmaking jargon, or a combination of both. Click on the highlighted terms to see a picture or illustration of the item and a more complete definition, if available, elsewhere in this website. Terms that are bold italicized are those that are used in this glossary but also appear on the General Bottle Morphology page. This allows readers to quickly find a more complete definition of these specific terms, rather than scrolling through the entire glossary. The glossary is continually being expanded as more specialized terminology is encountered in the literature and discussions on this site. Please feel free to suggest additional terms for inclusion in the glossary. Thank you.
