bottomry (botumri)

[Formerly also bot tomery, bottom ary, bottom marie, bodomery, etc.; = F. bomerie = G. bodmerei = Dan. Sw.bodmeri, A master of a ship, who had borrowed twice his money upon the bottom ary . Pepys , Diary, II. 69 5. In ordnance, a short cylinder of copper placed in a counterbore in the face of the breech-block, and through which the vent of a piece of breech-loading ordnance is drilled; a bushing. When this copper cylinder extends through the walls of the piece, it is called a vent - piece or vent -bushing. See bushing. 6. The mouth of a firearm of any kind; the bore.