bottoming

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of bottom

plural bottomings

1. The act of something that bottoms; the point at which something bottoms (in various senses).

   A hundred and fifty yards from its bottoming, the cliff trail squeezed between a pair of portal rocks.

   1961, Clay Fisher, The Apache Kid, page 135

   2 more examples

   In the course of this investigation, it was learned that the mean number of bottomings per second could be calculated theoretically […]

   1961, The Shock and Vibration Bulletin (issue 29, part 4, page 159)

   Many analysts point to the slowing building rate for new office space as evidence of a bottoming of the commercial real estate market.

   1990, Judith Headington McGee and Jerrold Dickson, J.K. Lasser’s Personal Investment Planner, page 263

2. A foundation (literal and figurative senses).

   These and the like are the maine truths in your esteeme, which I conceive have no bottoming in the holy Scripture.

   1642, John Ball, An Answer to Two Treatises of Mr. John Can, page 44

   3 more examples

   a road made with six inches of broken stone of great hardness, laid either on a foundation of large stones, set in the form of a pavement, or upon a bottoming of concrete

   1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, volume 2, page 184

   [The ramparts of] Rough Castle and Bar Hill […] like that of Birrens, rest upon stone bottomings. The Antonine Wall is of the same construction, only on a larger scale.

   1911, John Ward, The Roman Era in Britain, page 48

   One cannot take a Holmes precedent and spin out the resolution of companion cases; one cannot go to Holmes to find the substantive bottomings of an area of law

   1999, Philip Weinberg, editor, The Supreme Court: Selections from the Four-Volume Encyclopedia of the American Constitution and Supplement, pages 345-346

3. Material used to line the bottom of something.

   A bottoming of linen or hessian covering can be omitted if the outside covering is folded under whilst being tacked on the underside of the base members.

   1984, Robert J. McDonald, Basic Upholstery Repair and Restoration, page 114

   1 more example

   […] we were overtaken by a storm, and camped ten miles short of the ranch; we could afford to do this, as his wagon had a good tilt and a bottoming of straw.

   1885, W. Shepherd, Prairie Experiences in Handling Cattle and Sheep, page 85

4. businessA substance used to prepare a material for dyeing.

   For white-haired calf’s-skin a bottoming of walnut or gallnut extract is used.

   1917, The Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry, volume 36, page 594

   1 more example

   Sumach is generally used as a bottoming when the metallic base or mordant is iron or tin, and for dyeing deep colours, such as blacks, reds, &c.

   1875, James Napier, A Manual of Dyeing and Dyeing Receipts, page 220

5. Residue left at the bottom of something.

   […] the cage bottomings make a fine addition to the mulch pile.

   1977, Mervin F. Roberts, Guinea Pigs, page 14

   1 more example

   [His porridge] was, as usual, composed of the scraps and bottomings of bowls which had been left unfinished by the rest of the household.

   1899, S. R. Crockett, Kit Kennedy: Country Boy, page 218

6. historicalengineeringThe contouring of the wooden seat of a chair.

   A critical feature seems to be the subtle contouring of the seat known as its ‘bottoming’. This was hand carved […]

   1986, Stephen Pheasant and Christine M. Haslegrave, Bodyspace: Anthropometry, Ergonomics, and the Design of Work, page 80

   1 more example

   The sculpting, or bottoming of the seat should be well defined and quite deep, with smooth, boldly cut contours, to a certain extent mirroring the form it is intended to support.

   1993, The Buyer’s Guide to British Furniture Craftsmen, page 90

7. UKcolloquialThe act of thoroughly cleaning something.

   Mag gave [the office] a “bottoming” once a week with carbolic soap and disinfectant […]

   1970, Kathleen Eyre, Fylde Folk, Moss or Sand, page 55

   1 more example

   ‘And I’ll give the place a proper bottoming, cupboards and all, before you’re back,’ said Mrs Pringle, in a tone which sounded more like a threat than a promise.

   1974, Miss Read, Farther Afield, pages 45-46