butter

[buht-er]

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.

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

/ 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

verb

1. to put butter on or in

2. to flatter

Other Word Forms

• butterless adjective
• butterlike adjective
• unbuttered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of butter¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of butter¹

Old English butere , from Latin būtyrum , from Greek bouturon , from bous cow + turos cheese

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

Aspinall usually eats porridge for breakfast, alongside a couple of protein shakes which include peanut butter and blueberries, which can top 1,000 calories.

Read more on BBC

Whatever you use, it should be something that tastes good with a little salt and melted butter, the way all great foundations do.

Read more on Salon

That’s why — as someone who craves a little more control in the kitchen — I tend to only buy unsalted butter.

Read more on Salon

When processed, a cocoa bean becomes cocoa liquor, which contains 50% each of cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Read more on BBC

Trader Joe’s over the summer began stocking its stores with a new line of frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwich snacks, the crusts trimmed off and the edges pressed together.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• margarine 
• oil 
• shortening