buttery

¹ American  

[buht-uh-ree] / ˈbʌt ə ri /

adjective

1. like, containing, or spread with butter.

2. resembling butter, as in smoothness or softness of texture.

   a vest of buttery leather.

3. grossly flattering; smarmy.

---

buttery ² American  

[buht-uh-ree, buh-tree] / ˈbʌt ə ri, ˈbʌ tri /

noun

butteries plural

1. Chiefly New England. a room or rooms in which the provisions, wines, and liquors of a household are kept; pantry; larder.

2. a room in colleges, especially at Oxford and Cambridge universities, from which articles of food and drink are sold or dispensed to the students.

---

buttery ¹ British  

/ ˈbʌtərɪ /

adjective

1. containing, like, or coated with butter

2. informal grossly or insincerely flattering; obsequious

---

buttery ² British  

/ ˈbʌtərɪ /

noun

1. a room for storing foods or wines

2. (in some universities) a room in which food is supplied or sold to students

---

Other Word Forms

• butteriness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of buttery¹

First recorded in 1350–1400;  Middle English buttry, buttrie; see butter, -y ¹

Origin of buttery²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English boterie, butry, from Middle French, Old French, from Late Latin botāria (derivative of bota, butta “cask”) + -erie; see origin at butt ⁴, -ery

Explanation

Buttery food is full of butter, a rich creamy fat. Buttery also describes anything that reminds you of butter, like warm yellow light or a smooth talker who’s trying to butter you up so she can borrow your car. Although buttery is often used literally, as in “buttery popcorn,” it can describe anything that’s like butter in another way. If you describe someone's words or manner as buttery, you mean that they act insincerely complimentary or fawning. An old-fashioned meaning of buttery is "storeroom," like a pantry for keeping food or wine. Some British universities have a buttery, which is a snack shack for students.

Example Sentences

Your kitchen should fill with a buttery, nutty, garlicky aroma, which means you’re on the right track.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Lactococcus lactis was associated with buttery aromas, while Limosilactobacillus fermentum produced sugar alcohols that can add a mild sweetness.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

“It’s not a grind for me,” she said in a buttery yellow-and-black Chanel coat from Spring/Summer 2026.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

The truest to buttery brioche in flavor and texture, and through its lightness, one could almost convince oneself this is breakfast.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

On either side of them, in the Curandero Valley, aspen trees were a lovely buttery yellow, shivering in the Indian Summer breezes.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols