Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Butter?

\But"ter\ (b[u^]t"t[~e]r), n. [OE. botere, butter, AS. butere, fr. L. butyrum, Gr. boy`tyron; either fr. boy`s ox, cow + tyro`s cheese; or, perhaps, of Scythian origin. Cf. {Cow}.] 1. An oily, unctuous substance obtained from cream or milk by churning. 2. Any substance resembling butter in degree of consistence, or other qualities, especially, in old chemistry, the chlorides, as butter of antimony, sesquichloride of antimony; also, certain concrete fat oils remaining nearly solid at ordinary temperatures, as butter of cacao, vegetable butter, shea butter. {Butter and eggs} (Bot.), a name given to several plants having flowers of two shades of yellow, as {Narcissus incomparabilis}, and in the United States to the toadflax ({Linaria vulgaris}). {Butter boat}, a small vessel for holding melted butter at table. {Butter flower}, the buttercup, a yellow flower. {Butter print}, a piece of carved wood used to mark pats of butter; -- called also {butter stamp}. --Locke. {Butter tooth}, either of the two middle incisors of the upper jaw. {Butter tree} (Bot.), a tree of the genus {Bassia}, the seeds of which yield a substance closely resembling butter. The butter tree of India is the {B. butyracea}; that of Africa is the Shea tree ({B. Parkii}). See {Shea tree}. {Butter trier}, a tool used in sampling butter. {Butter wife}, a woman who makes or sells butter; -- called also {butter woman}. [Obs. or Archaic]
\But"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Buttered} (?); p. pr. & vb. n. {Buttering}.] 1. To cover or spread with butter. I know what's what. I know on which side My bread is buttered. --Ford. 2. To increase, as stakes, at every throw or every game. [Cant] --Johnson.
\Butt"er\, n. One who, or that which, butts.