Having a flat rather than curved or rounded bottom, especially referring to boats, pans, or other vessels.
Compound adjective combining 'flat' (Old English 'flet') and 'bottom' (from Old English 'botm' or 'botn,' related to Middle Low German 'bodem'). Used since at least the 16th century to describe vessel design.
Flat-bottomed boats are a brilliant engineering solution—they can float in shallower water than rounded boats because their weight spreads across a wider surface area, which is why they were perfect for American rivers with sandbars.
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