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butter

US //ˈbətɝ// UK //bˈʌtɐ// but·ter
  1. 1 dairy product (n.)
    A1 Beginner Cooking

    a soft, yellow food made from cream that you spread on bread or use in cooking.

    a fatty foodstuff produced by churning milk or cream. Uncountable in its primary sense.

    Example

    She spread some cold butter on her toast before eating breakfast.

    Example

    The chef insisted on using unsalted butter to maintain precise control over the sodium content of the delicate pastry dough.

  2. 2 other food spreads (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Cooking

    a soft food made from plants or nuts that looks like dairy butter.

    any of various edible spreads derived from non-dairy sources, typically nuts or seeds, sharing a similar consistency to dairy butter.

    Example

    Peanut butter is a very popular snack for children in many countries.

    Example

    The recipe calls for almond butter as a protein-rich substitute for traditional fats in the vegan brownie batter.
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  1. 3 cosmetic fat (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Medicine

    a thick, oily substance used in skin creams to make skin soft.

    a solid or semi-solid plant-based fat used as an emollient in cosmetic and dermatological preparations.

    Example

    She applied cocoa butter to her dry skin after taking a shower.

    Example

    Shea butter is frequently incorporated into high-end moisturisers due to its high concentration of fatty acids and vitamins.
  2. 4 something smooth (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang

    something that is very smooth, easy, or high quality.

    an object or performance characterized by extreme smoothness, ease, or aesthetic appeal.

    Example

    That new car drives like butter on the highway.

    Example

    The pilot's landing was absolute butter, touching down so gently that the passengers barely felt the wheels meet the tarmac.
  3. 5 to spread butter (v.)
    A2 Elementary Cooking

    to put butter on something, like bread or a baked potato.

    to apply butter to a surface. Transitive; requires a direct object.

    Example

    Could you butter the bread while I finish making the soup?

    Example

    The baker carefully buttered the individual layers of phyllo dough to ensure the finished baklava would be perfectly crisp and golden.
  4. 6 skiing/snowboarding trick (v.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Sport

    to lean on the front or back of your skis or snowboard while moving.

    to shift one's weight onto the tips or tails of skis or a snowboard to perform a manual-style trick.

    Example

    He did a cool butter on his snowboard right before the jump.

    Example

    The athlete demonstrated impressive core strength by holding a tail butter across the entire flat section of the terrain park.
Etymology 1

PIE word *gʷṓws Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws Proto-Hellenic *gʷous Ancient Greek βοῦς (boûs) Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *tūrós Ancient Greek τυρός (turós) Ancient Greek βούτῡρον (boútūron)bor. Latin būtȳrumbor. Proto-West Germanic *buterā Old English butere Middle English buter English butter From Middle English buter, butter, from Old English butere, from Proto-West Germanic *buterā, from Latin būtȳrum, from Ancient Greek βούτῡρον (boútūron, “cow cheese”), compound of βοῦς (boûs, “ox, cow”) and τῡρός (tūrós, “cheese”).

Etymology 2

From butt + -er.

Idioms8 entries

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