Bottle

Bottle, a vessel with a relatively narrow neck, for holding liquids. The earliest bottles mentioned in literature were of skins. They are referred to in the Bible and by many Greek authors, and are often still used in S. Europe for wine: they are of considerable capacity. Hollowed gourds, too, are an early type of bottle - the neck being made by tying the young gourd round with a string near the stalk. It is possible that the earliest earthenware bottles were made by coating these with clay and subjecting them to the action of fire. Earthenware bottles are common in the East. Modem bottles are made of glass or stoneware. They have also been made (to some extent for temporary use, e.g. for sending home vinegar from the grocers' shops) from paper in America of late years.