Part 889

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. Johnson.

Butt"er (&?;), n. One who, or that which, butts.

But"ter*ball` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) The buffel duck.

But"ter*bird` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) The rice bunting or bobolink; -- so called in the island of Jamaica.

But"ter*bump` (&?;), n. [OE. buttur the bittern + 5th bump.] (Zoöl.) The European bittern. Johnson.

But"ter*bur` (&?;), n. (Bot.) A broad-leaved plant (Petasites vulgaris) of the Composite family, said to have been used in England for wrapping up pats of butter.

But"ter*cup` (&?;), n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Ranunculus, or crowfoot, particularly R. bulbosus, with bright yellow flowers; -- called also butterflower, golden cup, and kingcup. It is the cuckoobud of Shakespeare.

But"ter-fin`gered (&?;), a. Apt to let things fall, or to let them slip away; slippery; careless.

But"ter*fish` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) A name given to several different fishes, in allusion to their slippery coating of mucus, as the Stromateus triacanthus of the Atlantic coast, the Epinephelus punctatus of the southern coast, the rock eel, and the kelpfish of New Zealand.

But"ter*fly` (&?;), n.; pl. Butterflies (&?;). [Perh. from the color of a yellow species. AS. buter-flge, buttor-fleóge; cf. G. butterfliege, D. botervlieg. See Butter, and Fly.] (Zoöl.) A general name for the numerous species of diurnal Lepidoptera. [See Illust. under Aphrodite.]

Asclepias butterfly. See under Asclepias. -- Butterfly fish (Zoöl.), the ocellated blenny (Blennius ocellaris) of Europe. See Blenny. The term is also applied to the flying gurnard. -- Butterfly shell (Zoöl.), a shell of the genus Voluta. -- Butterfly valve (Mech.), a kind of double clack valve, consisting of two semicircular clappers or wings hinged to a cross rib in the pump bucket. When open it somewhat resembles a butterfly in shape.

But"ter*ine (&?;), n. A substance prepared from animal fat with some other ingredients intermixed, as an imitation of butter.

The manufacturers ship large quantities of oleomargarine to England, Holland, and other countries, to be manufactured into butter, which is sold as butterine or suine. Johnson's Cyc.

But"ter*is (&?;), n. [The same word as buttress, noun, in a different application, F. bouter to push.] (Far.) A steel cutting instrument, with a long bent shank set in a handle which rests against the shoulder of the operator. It is operated by a thrust movement, and used in paring the hoofs of horses.

But"ter*man` (&?;), n.; pl. Buttermen (&?;). A man who makes or sells butter.

But"ter*milk` (&?;), n. The milk that remains after the butter is separated from the cream.

But"ter*nut` (&?;), n. 1. (Bot.) An American tree (Juglans cinerea) of the Walnut family, and its edible fruit; -- so called from the oil contained in the latter. Sometimes called oil nut and white walnut.

2. (Bot.) The nut of the Caryocar butyrosum and C. nuciferum, of S. America; -- called also Souari nut.

But"ter-scotch` (&?;), n. A kind of candy, mainly composed of sugar and butter. [Colloq.] Dickens.

But"ter*weed` (&?;), n. (Bot.) An annual composite plant of the Mississippi valley (Senecio lobatus).

But"ter*weight` (&?;), n. Over weight. Swift.

Formerly it was a custom to give 18 ounces of butter for a pound.

But"ter*wort` (&?;), n. (Bot.) A genus of low herbs (Pinguicula) having simple leaves which secrete from their glandular upper surface a viscid fluid, to which insects adhere, after which the margin infolds and the insects are digested by the plant. The species are found mostly in the North Temperate zone.

But"ter*y (&?;), a. Having the qualities, consistence, or appearance, of butter.