ˈbʌtə n. & v. --n. 1 a a pale
yellow edible fatty substance made by churning
cream and used as a
spread or in
cooking. b a substance of a
similar consistency or
appearance (peanut butter). 2
excessive flattery. --v.tr. spread,
cook, or
serve with butter (butter
the bread; buttered carrots). øbutter-and-eggs
any of
several plants having
two shades of yellow in the
flower, e.g.
toadflax. butter-bean 1 the flat,
dried,
white lima
bean. 2 a yellow-podded bean. butter-cream (or -icing) a
mixture of butter,
icing sugar, etc. used as a
filling or a
topping for a
cake. butter-fingers colloq. a
clumsy person prone to
drop things. butter-knife a
blunt knife used for
cutting butter at
table. butter
muslin a
thin, loosely-woven
cloth with a fine
mesh, orig. for
wrapping butter. butter-nut 1 a N.
American tree, Juglans cinerea. 2 the
oily nut of
this tree. butter up colloq.
flatter excessively.
look as if butter wouldn't
melt in one's
mouth seem demure or
innocent, probably deceptively. [OE butere f. L butyrum f. Gk bouturon]
