ULLAGE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 13 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

ULLAGE  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) the amount by which the contents fall short of filling a container
2. (n.) the quantity of liquid lost from a container due to leakage or evaporation

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: S-
• Back hooks: -D, -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: SullageS
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: ULLAGED (adj.)

Current theme:

No theme this week — just a few random selections from the good wordbook

Epilogue:

That extra space at the top of bottles of wine, known as ULLAGE or HEADSPACE, often serves a purpose, allowing for expansion of contents or gases.  A similar concept applies to soda bottles, jet fuel tanks, and other containers of liquid.  Ullage seems to be on the rise in dry food packaging as well — notice the amount of air in your potato chip, cracker, or breakfast cereal packages — though more for reasons of marketing and chicanery than for any valid purpose.

The word derives ultimately from the Latin oculus (“eye”).  Medieval winemakers tried to fill casks up to the “eye” (the bunghole or stopper) to prevent the introduction of unwanted bacteria or other foreign substances.  Thus the French ouillage morphed into Anglo-French ulliage, the ancestor of our modern word.

If you are more concerned about what is inside the container, then INNAGE is the word for you.  INNAGE refers to the amount of liquid or product in a container, often measured in height from the bottom of the container.  It can also refer to the amount of liquid or product remaining in a container after shipment, such as the amount of fuel remaining in a jet tank after a flight.

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