Pottle
/ˈpɒt.əl/noun
A former unit of liquid measure equal to half a gallon, or a small pot or container.
Did you know?Pottle is historically tied to Latin *pottus*/*potus* (“drink”), the same ancient drinking root behind words like potation, so even a humble measure of ale carries a buried ritual of drinking.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*po(i)-
“to drink”
Latin
Latin
potare
“to drink”
Late Latin
Latin
pottus / potus
“a drink; drinking”
Old French
Old French
pote
“a measure or small vessel for liquid”
Middle English
English
pottle
“a pot or vessel for liquids; later, a measure of about half a gallon”
Modern English
English
pottle
“an archaic unit of liquid measure or small container”