butt

views updated Jun 11 2018

butt1 / bət/ • v. [tr.] (of a person or animal) hit (someone or something) with the head or horns: she butted him in the chest with her head. ∎  strike (the head) against something: he butts his head against a wall.• n. a push or blow, typically given with the head: he would follow up with a butt from his head.PHRASES: butt heads engage in conflict or be in strong disagreement: the residents continue to butt heads with the mall developers.PHRASAL VERBS: butt in take part in a conversation or activity, or enter somewhere, without being invited or expected: sorry to butt in on you.butt out inf. stop interfering: anyone who tries to cut across our policies should butt out.butt2 • n. the person or thing at which criticism or humor, typically unkind, is directed: his singing is the butt of dozens of jokes. ∎  (usu. butts) an archery or shooting target or range.butt3 • n. 1. (also butt end) the thicker end, esp. of a tool or a weapon: a rifle butt. ∎  the square end of a plank or plate meeting the end or side of another, as in the side of a ship.2. (also butt end) the stub of a cigar or a cigarette: the ashtray was crammed with cigarette butts.3. inf. the buttocks.4. the trunk of a tree, esp. the part just above the ground.• v. [intr.] adjoin or meet end to end: the church butted up against the row of houses. ∎  [tr.] join (pieces of stone, lumber, and other building materials) with the ends or sides flat against each other: the floorboards will be butted up against each other to make tight seams.butt4 • n. a cask, typically used for wine, ale, or water.

butt

views updated Jun 27 2018

butt5 thicker end of a thing; (dial.) buttock XV; base of a tree-trunk XVII. rel. to the base of which BUTTOCK seems to be a deriv. and which is repr. by words meaning ‘short and stumpy’, as Du. bot (BUTT2).

butt

views updated May 29 2018

butt4 cask for wine, etc. XIV. In AL. butta (XIII), bota (XIV) — AN. but, var. of OF. bo(u)t :- late L. buttis, perh. based on Gr. būtī́nē, var. of pūtī́nē osier-covered flask. (Cf. BOTTLE).

butt

views updated May 21 2018

butt3 mark for archery practice (orig. embankment holding targets) XIV; †goal, object XVI; target for ridicule, etc. XVII. prob. — (O)F. but, of unkn. orig.; perh. infl. by F. butte (cf. BUTTE) rising ground, knoll, (also) target.

butt

views updated May 18 2018

butt2 (locally) applied to various flat-fish. XIII. — MLG. but, MDu. but(te), bot(te), whence also G. butt(e), Sw. butta turbot, Da. bot flounder; prob. rel. to LG. but, MDu, bot stumpy. Cf. HALIBUT.

butt

views updated May 11 2018

butt1 strike, thrust (now with the head), intr. XII; trans. XVI. — AN. buter, OF. boter (mod. dial. bouter put), of Gmc. orig.

Butt

views updated May 29 2018

Butt

a small piece of land; a bundle or pack.

Examples: butt of land, 1475; of linen [1500 yds.], 1705; of olives, 1653; of Malmsey wine, 1477.

butt

views updated Jun 08 2018

butt A cask for beer or wine, containing 108 imperial gallons (491 L).

butt

views updated May 23 2018

butt The base of a tree, or lower end of a log.