# butternut

/bˈʌtənˌʌt/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/butternut
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Definition

a sweet winter squash with light brown skin and soft orange flesh inside. You usually roast it or use it in soup.

For teachers: a pear-shaped winter squash with tan skin and sweet orange flesh, widely used cooked in soups and roasted dishes. Also refers to a North American walnut tree that produces oily edible nuts.

## Examples

- I roast butternut with olive oil for dinner.
- She makes a creamy butternut soup with onion and ginger every autumn.
- The farmer harvests butternut in late autumn, curing the thick-skinned squash for weeks so its sugars deepen before it reaches winter markets.

## Usage notes

- Commonly short for 'butternut squash' in cooking contexts; the tree sense is rarer.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.