Butter

Pronunciation

• enPR: bÅ­tʹ-É™r, IPA: /ˈbÊŒ.təɹ/
• RP IPA: /ˈbÊŒ.tÉ™/
• US IPA: /ˈbÊŒ.tÉš/, ˈbʌɾɚ
• Rhymes: -ÊŒtÉ™(r)
• Northern and Midland England, Wales, Scotland IPA: /ˈbÊŠ.tÉ™/
• Rhymes: -ÊŠtÉ™(r)
• Hyphenation: but + ter

From Middle English, from Old English butere ("butter"), from Proto-Germanic *buterô ("butter") (compare West Frisian buter, Dutch boter, German Butter), from Latin būtȳrum, from Ancient Greek βούτῡρον ("cow cheese"), compound of βοῦς ("ox, cow") and τῡρός ("cheese"), from Scythian. Compare Avestan 𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬏𐬙 (tūiri, "curdled milk, whey")), from Proto-Indo-European *tuHrós (compare Middle Indic (tūra, "cheese"), Russian творог (tvoróg, "curds, soft cheese"), Old English þweran ("to churn"), ge-þweor ("curds")).

Full definition of butter

Noun

1. (uncountable) A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
2. (countable, obsolete, chemistry) Any specific soft substance.butter of antimony
3. (uncountable) 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).peanut butter

Derived terms

Related terms

• butterfly
• butter-ham

Verb

1. (transitive) To spread butter on.Butter the toast.
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.
3. (slang, obsolete, transitive) To increase (stakes) at every throw of dice, or every game.

Derived terms

butt + -er

Noun

1. Someone who butts; someone who butts in----