butter

American  

[buht-er] / ˈbʌt ər /

noun

1. the fatty portion of milk, separating as a soft whitish or yellowish solid when milk or cream is agitated or churned.

2. this substance, processed for cooking and table use.

3. any of various other soft spreads for bread.

   apple butter; peanut butter.

4. any of various substances of butterlike consistency, as various metallic chlorides, and certain vegetable oils solid at ordinary temperatures.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put butter on or in; spread or grease with butter.

2. to apply a liquefied bonding material to (a piece or area), as mortar to a course of bricks.

3. Metalworking.  to cover (edges to be welded together) with a preliminary surface of the weld metal.

verb phrase

1. butter up  to flatter someone in order to gain a favor.

   He suspected that they were buttering him up when everyone suddenly started being nice to him.

butter British  

/ ˈbʌtə /

noun

1. 1. an edible fatty whitish-yellow solid made from cream by churning, for cooking and table use

   2. ( as modifier )

      butter icing

2. any substance with a butter-like consistency, such as peanut butter or vegetable butter

3. to look innocent, although probably not so

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verb

1. to put butter on or in

2. to flatter

butter Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing butter

• bread and butter
• bread-and-butter letter
• know which side of bread is buttered

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Other Word Forms

• butterless adjective
• butterlike adjective
• unbuttered adjective

Etymology

Origin of butter

before 1000; Middle English; Old English butere < Latin būtȳrum < Greek boútȳron

Example Sentences

Edible snails - or escargot - are a French delicacy, usually cooked in garlic butter or wine before being extracted from their shell.

From BBC

Tear them into rustic chunks and toast lightly in butter until the edges crisp and scent curls through the kitchen.

From Salon

Each Friday, friends drove to Munger’s home for a potluck lunch, carrying chicken sandwiches with butter on soft white bread, the crusts sometimes removed.

From The Wall Street Journal

If this is the last dish you’re trying to make and you’re too tired to even lift your fork, the easiest thing you can make is boiled green beans with butter and lemon.

From Salon

To prepare, simply place the half turkey on a baking sheet, tuck the butter disk between the skin and breast and roast in the oven.

From Salon

Related Words

• margarine
• oil
• shortening