Dictionary.com

butterscotch

[ buht-er-skoch ]
/ ˈbʌt ərˌskɒtʃ /
Save This Word!

noun
a flavor produced in puddings, frostings, ice cream, etc., by combining brown sugar, vanilla extract, and butter with other ingredients.
a hard, brittle taffy made with butter, brown sugar, etc.
a golden brown color.
adjective
having the flavor of butterscotch.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of butterscotch

First recorded in 1850–55; earlier also butterscot; the 2nd element of the compound is unexplained
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use butterscotch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for butterscotch

butterscotch
/ (ˈbʌtəˌskɒtʃ) /

noun
a kind of hard brittle toffee made with butter, brown sugar, etc
  1. a flavouring made from these ingredients
  2. (as modifier)butterscotch icing

Word Origin for butterscotch

C19: perhaps first made in Scotland, or perhaps from scotch 1 (sense 3), 'to cut or score', because it was originally cut with a knife into small pieces
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
FEEDBACK