Library / English Dictionary

BUTTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An edible emulsion of fat globules made by churning milk or cream; for cooking and table use

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("butter" is a kind of...):

food; solid food (any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment)

dairy product (milk and butter and cheese)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "butter"):

stick (a rectangular quarter pound block of butter or margarine)

clarified butter; drawn butter (butter made clear by heating and removing the sediment of milk solids)

beurre noisette; brown butter (clarified butter browned slowly and seasoned with vinegar or lemon juice and capers)

lemon butter; Meuniere butter (clarified butter browned slowly and seasoned with lemon juice and parsley)

yak butter (butter made from yaks' milk)

Derivation:

butter (spread butter on)

buttery (resembling or containing or spread with butter)

butyraceous (having the qualities of butter or yielding or containing a substance like butter)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A fighter who strikes the opponent with his head

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("butter" is a kind of...):

battler; belligerent; combatant; fighter; scrapper (someone who fights (or is fighting))

Derivation:

butt (to strike, thrust or shove against)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Spread butter on

Example:

butter bread

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "butter" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

butter (an edible emulsion of fat globules made by churning milk or cream; for cooking and table use)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A characteristic of a medicinal product, specifying that its most predominant agreeable savor detected by the unified sensation of taste and olfactory receptors resembles butter pecan.

(Butter Pecan Flavor, NCI Thesaurus)

Processing can extract 2 main components from cocoa beans: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

(Can Chocolate Really Be Good for You?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Peanut butter and tree nuts were not associated with stroke risk.

(Eating Regular Variety of Nuts Associated with Lower Risk of Heart Disease, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Mrs. Norris could not speak with any temper of such grievances, nor of the quantity of butter and eggs that were regularly consumed in the house.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

She's got such a soft heart, it will melt like butter in the sun if anyone looks sentimentlly at her.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

They had seldom seen him eat so heartily at any table but his own, and never before known him so little disconcerted by the melted butter's being oiled.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Four of the Indians jumped, and the canes went through 'em like knittin' needles through a pat of butter.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

You will remember, Watson, how the dreadful business of the Abernetty family was first brought to my notice by the depth which the parsley had sunk into the butter upon a hot day.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Barbara," said she, "can you not bring a little more bread and butter? There is not enough for three."

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The aunt was as tiresome as ever; more tiresome, because anxiety for her health was now added to admiration of her powers; and they had to listen to the description of exactly how little bread and butter she ate for breakfast, and how small a slice of mutton for dinner, as well as to see exhibitions of new caps and new workbags for her mother and herself; and Jane's offences rose again.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)