butterscotch

[ buht-er-skoch ]

/ ˈbʌt ərˌskɒtʃ /

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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for butterscotch

The concoction, dubbed Scotchy Scotch Scotch, consists of a butterscotch ice cream with butterscotch swirls.
Anchorman 2’s PR Blitz: Dodge Durangos, Daft Punk, Rob Ford’s Campaign Song, and Whiskey|Marlow Stern|November 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There were rich shades of butterscotch and bold hues of purple.
Paris Fall Fashion Week Ends With Vuitton and Kanye|Robin Givhan|March 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Chocolate chips or butterscotch chips, walnuts or pecans, coffee or peanut butter or dried fruit…yes, the list goes on and on.
An Unbeatable Brownie|Cookstr.com|November 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
His true sphere in a Sunday school was in the infant department; where, with a packet of butterscotch and "Hush-a-bye, Baby!"
Cleg Kelly, Arab of the City|S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

The cream pies were on a stick, and coated with chocolate, butterscotch, and vanilla with coconut.
The Blue Ghost Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin
"I'm no saying Jacinta's no fascinating, an' I've seen ye looking at her like a laddie eyeing a butterscotch," he said.
For Jacinta|Harold Bindloss
And the candy-store was next door; the butterscotch they sold there!
The Woman from Outside|Hulbert Footner
Even Doncaster butterscotch is more familiar than Doncaster piety, but the Church is particularly active here, nevertheless.
The Great North Road: London to York|Charles G. Harper

British Dictionary definitions for butterscotch

butterscotch

/ (ˈbʌtəˌskɒtʃ) /

noun

a kind of hard brittle toffee made with butter, brown sugar, etc

a flavouring made from these ingredients
(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