butterfat

American

[buht-er-fat] / ˈbʌt ərˌfæt /

noun

butter; milk fat; a mixture of glycerides, mainly butyrin, olein, and palmitin.

butterfat British

/ ˈbʌtəˌfæt /

noun

the fatty substance of milk from which butter is made, consisting of a mixture of glycerides, mainly butyrin, olein, and palmitin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of butterfat

First recorded in 1885–90; butter + fat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These sweets had a rich and soulful quality — the butterfat reward for a laborious stovetop process.

From Washington Post • Mar. 3, 2023

It's made by slowly heating fresh cream until the butterfat separates and rises to the top.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2022

It suddenly dawned on me one night that ice cream was all about scent and that butterfat is actually a perfect carrier of scent.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2022

To make butter, all you need to do is agitate some cream enough, and the tiny droplets of butterfat will come together, separating from the watery buttermilk.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2021

Masvita combed Nhamo’s hair and rubbed her skin with butterfat.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023