Dictionary.com
definitions

scuttlebutt

[ skuht-l-buht ]
/ ˈskʌt lˌbʌt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scuttlebutt ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Nautical.
  1. an open cask of drinking water.
  2. a drinking fountain for use by the crew of a vessel.
Informal. rumor or gossip.

RELATED WORDS

blather, hearsay, grapevine, meddling, chitchat, talk, babble, prattle, chatter, rumor

Nearby words

  1. scutellation,
  2. scutellum,
  3. scutiform,
  4. scutter,
  5. scuttle,
  6. scutular,
  7. scutulum,
  8. scutum,
  9. scutwork,
  10. scuzz

Origin of scuttlebutt

1795–1805; 1900–05 for def 2; scuttle3 + butt4
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scuttlebutt

British Dictionary definitions for scuttlebutt

scuttlebutt

/ (ˈskʌtəlˌbʌt) /

noun nautical

a drinking fountain
(formerly) a cask of drinking water aboard a ship
mainly US slang rumour or gossip

Word Origin for scuttlebutt

C19: from scuttle ³ + butt 4
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
Word Origin and History for scuttlebutt

scuttlebutt

n.

1805, "cask of drinking water kept on a ship's deck, having a hole (scuttle) cut in it for a cup or dipper," from scuttle "opening in a ship's deck" (see scuttle (v.2)) + butt (n.2) "barrel." Earlier scuttle cask (1777). Meaning "rumor, gossip" first recorded 1901, originally nautical slang, traditionally said to be from the sailors' custom of gathering around the scuttlebutt to gossip. Cf. water-cooler, figurative for "workplace gossip" mid-20c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper