butter
[ buht-er ]
/ ˈbʌt ər /
noun
verb (used with object)
Verb Phrases
butter up, Informal.
to flatter someone in order to gain a favor: He suspected that they were buttering him up when everyone suddenly started being nice to him.
Origin of butter
before 1000; Middle English; Old English
butere < Latin
būtȳrum < Greek
boútȳron
OTHER WORDS FROM butter
but·ter·less, adjective but·ter·like, adjective un·but·tered, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH butter
budder butterWords nearby butter
butt-dial,
butt-fuck,
butt-fucker,
buttals,
butte,
butter,
butter bean,
butter brickle,
butter clam,
butter cookie,
butter knife
British Dictionary definitions for butter up (1 of 2)
butter up
verb
(tr, adverb)
to flatter
British Dictionary definitions for butter up (2 of 2)
butter
/ (ˈbʌtə) /
noun
- an edible fatty whitish-yellow solid made from cream by churning, for cooking and table use
- (as modifier)butter icing Related adjective: butyraceous
any substance with a butter-like consistency, such as peanut butter or vegetable butter
look as if butter wouldn't melt in one's mouth
to look innocent, although probably not so
verb (tr)
to put butter on or in
to flatter
See also
butter up
Word Origin for butter
Old English
butere, from Latin
būtyrum, from Greek
bouturon, from
bous cow +
turos cheese
Medical definitions for butter up
butter
[ bŭt′ər ]
n.
A soft yellowish or whitish emulsion of butterfat, water, air, and sometimes salt, churned from milk or cream and processed for use in cooking and as a food.
A soft solid having at room temperature a consistency like that of butter.
Idioms and Phrases with butter up (1 of 2)
butter up
Excessively praise or flatter someone, usually to gain a favor. For example, If you butter up Dad, he'll let you borrow the car. This term transfers the oily, unctuous quality of butter to lavish praise. [c. 1700]
Idioms and Phrases with butter up (2 of 2)
butter