butting

[ buht-ing ]
/ ˈbʌt ɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR butting ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a boundary; limit.

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Origin of butting

First recorded in 1545–55; butt3 + -ing1

Words nearby butting

buttery, butthead, butthole, butthurt, buttie, butting, buttinsky, buttle, buttock, buttock-clenching, button

Definition for butting (2 of 3)

butt2
[ buht ]
/ bʌt /

noun

verb (used without object)

to have an end or projection on; be adjacent to; abut.

verb (used with object)

to position or fasten an end (of something).
to place or join the ends (of two things) together; set end-to-end.

Origin of butt

2
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French but target, goal, probably ≪ Old Norse bútr butt1, from the use of a wooden block or stump as a target in archery, etc.

Definition for butting (3 of 3)

Origin of butt

3
1150–1200; Middle Englishbutten < Anglo-French buter, Old French boter to thrust, strike < Germanic; compare Middle Dutch botten to strike, sprout
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to butting

tush, backside, behind, bottom, bum, derriere, smack, collide, shove, ass, fanny, keister, rear, seat, tail, buck, poke, knock, bump

Example sentences from the Web for butting

British Dictionary definitions for butting (1 of 5)

Butt
/ (bʌt) /

noun

Dame Clara . 1872–1936, English contralto

British Dictionary definitions for butting (2 of 5)

butt1
/ (bʌt) /

noun

the thicker or blunt end of something, such as the end of the stock of a rifle
the unused end of something, esp of a cigarette; stub
tanning the portion of a hide covering the lower backside of the animal
US and Canadian informal the buttocks
US a slang word for cigarette
building trades short for butt joint, butt hinge

Word Origin for butt

C15 (in the sense: thick end of something, buttock): related to Old English buttuc end, ridge, Middle Dutch bot stumpy

British Dictionary definitions for butting (3 of 5)

butt2
/ (bʌt) /

noun

a person or thing that is the target of ridicule, wit, etc
shooting archery
  1. a mound of earth behind the target on a target range that stops bullets or wide shots
  2. the target itself
  3. (plural) the target range
a low barrier, usually of sods or peat, behind which sportsmen shoot game birds, esp grouse
archaic goal; aim

verb

(usually foll by on or against) to lie or be placed end on to; abutto butt a beam against a wall

Word Origin for butt

C14 (in the sense: mark for archery practice): from Old French but; related to French butte knoll, target

British Dictionary definitions for butting (4 of 5)

butt3
/ (bʌt) /

verb

to strike or push (something) with the head or horns
(intr) to project; jut
(intr ; foll by in or into) to intrude, esp into a conversation; interfere; meddle
butt out informal, mainly US and Canadian to stop interfering or meddling

noun

a blow with the head or horns

Derived forms of butt

butter, noun

Word Origin for butt

C12: from Old French boter, of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch botten to strike; see beat, button

British Dictionary definitions for butting (5 of 5)

butt4
/ (bʌt) /

noun

a large cask, esp one with a capacity of two hogsheads, for storing wine or beer
a US unit of liquid measure equal to 126 US gallons

Word Origin for butt

C14: from Old French botte, from Old Provençal bota, from Late Latin buttis cask, perhaps from Greek butinē chamber pot
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