bottoming

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of bottom

noun

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

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

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

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

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.”

   “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”

   “[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.”

   “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”

3. Material used to line the bottom of something.

   “[…] 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.”

   “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.”

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

   “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.”

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

5. Residue left at the bottom of something.

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

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

6. (historical)The 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 […]”

   “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.”

7. (UK, colloquial)The act of thoroughly cleaning something.

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

   “‘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.”