pottle

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Pottle

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From Middle English potell, potel, from Old French potel, diminutive of pot; see more at pot.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

pottle (plural pottles)

  1. (archaic) A former unit of volume, equivalent to half a gallon, used for liquids and corn; a pot or drinking vessel of around this size.
  2. (New Zealand) A small food container, usually made of plastic or cardboard, typically used for containing hot chips, yoghurt or other foodstuffs.
    • 2019, Tara Ward, “The Spinoff Reviews New Zealand #94: Ōkato’s award-winning hot chips”, in The Spinoff[2]:
      Outside, I ripped open the bag to reveal the chips were sitting inside a paper pottle. A pottle!
    • 2023, Sarah Heeringa, “There's something to know about this yogurt – and it's not what you think”, in Stuff[3]:
      Did you know that the six and four-pack pottle yogurts – the kind we buy for lunches – can’t be recycled.
    • 2022, Charlotte Muru-Lanning, “What rising supply costs mean for local fish and chip shops”, in The Spinoff[4]:
      In recent weeks, he’s been taken aback by the price of the fresh fruit and vegetables they use for their pottles of raw fish.
  3. (archaic) A small pot or other receptacle, e.g. for strawberries.
    • 1851, Henry Mayhew, “Of the tricks of costermongers”, in London Labour and the London Poor[5], volume I:
      Strawberry pottles are often half cabbage leaves, a few tempting strawberries being displayed on the top of the pottle.
    • 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter II, in Great Expectations [], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, [], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 26:
      He had a paper-bag under each arm and a pottle of strawberries in one hand, and was out of breath.
    • 2005, Dan Keding and Amy Douglas (eds.), English Folktales, World Folklore Series, Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, →ISBN, page 21,[6]
      "I was wondering whether you’ve got such a thing as a pottle of brains to spare?"

Synonyms

[edit]