butter

/ˈbʌdər/

/ˈbʌtə/

Other forms: buttered; butters; buttering

Butter is a creamy spread made from milk fat. Your favorite breakfast might be hot toast slathered with butter.

The process of making butter involves churning cream until the fats coagulate and become creamy and pale yellow. Butter is sometimes salted, and usually formed into sticks for cooks to use in frying, baking, and spreading on corn on the cob and baked goods. To do this is to butter your bread. The Greek root word is boutyron, literally "cow cheese," from bous, "cow."

Definitions of butter

1. noun

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

   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

   Meuniere butter, lemon butter

   clarified butter browned slowly and seasoned with lemon juice and parsley

   yak butter

   butter made from yaks' milk

   ghee

   clarified butter used in Indian cookery

   type 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
2. verb

   spread butter on
   “butter bread”

   type of:

   cover

   provide with a covering or cause to be covered
3. noun

   a fighter who strikes the opponent with his head
   type of:

   battler, belligerent, combatant, fighter, scrapper

   someone who fights (or is fighting)