English Explanatory Dictionary

butter

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
  2. Any of various foodstuffs made from other foods or oils, similar in consistency to, eaten like or intended as a substitute for butter (preceded by the name of the food used to make it).
  3. Any of various substances made from other (especially plant-based) oils or fats, used in moisturizers, cosmetics, etc.
  4. Any specific soft substance.
  5. Something that is smooth, impressive, or appealing. (Compare smooth as butter.)
  6. A smooth plane landing.
verb
  1. To spread butter on.
  2. To move one's weight backwards or forwards onto the tips or tails of one's skis or snowboard so only the tip or tail is in contact with the snow. Similar to applying butter to bread with the end of a knife.
  3. To spin on skis or a snowboard using only the tips or tails being in contact with the snow
  4. To increase (stakes) at every throw of dice, or every game.
noun
  1. Someone or something that butts.
  2. Someone or something that butts in; a busybody.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

bŭʹtər /ˈbʌtəɹ/ /ˈbʌtə/ En-uk-butter.ogg /ˈbʌtɚ/ [ˈbʌɾɚ] en-us-butter.ogg /ˈbatə/ [ˈbaɾə] /ˈbʌtəɾ/ /ˈbʊtə/ /ˈbʊhɐ/

Word forms

butter butters butta buttah buttering buttered

Etymology

PIE word *gʷṓws Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws Proto-Hellenic *gʷous Ancient Greek βοῦς (boûs) Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *tūrós Ancient Greek τυρός (turós) Ancient Greek βούτῡρον (boútūron)bor. Latin būtȳrumbor. Proto-West Germanic *buterā Old English butere Middle English buter English butter From Middle English buter, butter, from Old English butere, from Proto-West Germanic *buterā, from Latin būtȳrum, from Ancient Greek βούτῡρον (boútūron, “cow cheese”), compound of βοῦς (boûs, “ox, cow”) and τῡρός (tūrós, “cheese”). Cognate with Dutch boter and German Butter.

Related words

butterface butterfly butter-ham butyraceous ghee

Derived words

almond-butter almond butter apple butter back-butter back butter bean-butter black butter blue butter body butter bog butter brandy butter bread-and-butter bread and butter bread-and-butter issue bread-and-butter letter bread-and-butter note bread-and-butter pickle bread-and-butter plate bread and butter pudding brown butter budder bull butter butterable butter-and-egger butter-and-egg man butter-and-egg money butter-and-eggs butter bar butter bean butterbird butter board butter boat butter bomb butter-box butter bread butter brickle butterburger butterbutt butter cake butter chicken butter clam butter cream buttercream buttercrunch butter curler butter dish butterdock butterer butterface butter face butterfaced butter fat butter-fat butter-fingered butter fingers butter flap butter flower butter fruit butterhead butterhorn

Translations

Abkhaz: азеҭ Afrikaans: botter Ajië: dibëë Akkadian: 𒉌𒉣𒈾 Albanian: gjalpë Southern Altai: сармай Southern Altai: сары май Southern Altai: май Southern Altai: сарју Southern Altai: сары јуу Alutiiq: masla Amharic: ቅቤ Antillean Creole: bè Western Apache: ibeʼ nestʼógi Arabic: زُبْدَة Arabic: زبدة Chadian Arabic: زبدة Aragonese: manteca Aramaic: כרעא Aramaic: ܚܐܘܬܐ Aramaic: ܟܪܥܐ Armenian: կարագ Armenian: կոգի Old Armenian: կոգի Old Armenian: իւղ Aromanian: umtu Assamese: মাখণ Assamese: ননী Asturian: mantega Aukan: botoo Azerbaijani: yağ Azerbaijani: kərə yağı Bashkir: май Basque: gurin Belarusian: ма́сла Bengali: মাখন Breton: amanenn Breton: amann Middle Breton: amanen Bulgarian: масло́ Burmese: ထောပတ် Buryat: сагаан тоһон Carpathian Rusyn: ма́сло Catalan: mantega Champenois: bure Chechen: налха Chechen: даьтта Cherokee: ᎪᏢᏅ Cherokee: ᎪᏢᏅᎢ Cheyenne: heóveamėške Chinese Cantonese: 牛油 Eastern Min Chinese: 牛奶油 Hakka Chinese: 牛油 Hakka Chinese: 乳油 Hakka Chinese: 白塔 Chinese: 牛油 Chinese: bá-tah
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