Buttons
(But"tons) n. A boy servant, or page, — in allusion to the buttons on his livery. [Colloq.] Dickens.
Buttonweed
(But"ton*weed`) n. (Bot.) The name of several plants of the genera Spermacoce and
Diodia, of the Madder family.
Buttonwood
(But"ton*wood`) n. (Bot.) The Platanus occidentalis, or American plane tree, a large tree,
producing rough balls, from which it is named; — called also buttonball tree, and, in some parts of the
United States, sycamore. The California buttonwood is P. racemosa.
Buttony
(But"ton*y) a. Ornamented with a large number of buttons. "The buttony boy." Thackeray. "My
coat so blue and buttony." W. S. Gilbert.
Buttress
(But"tress) n. [OE. butrasse, boterace, fr. F. bouter to push; cf. OF. bouteret (nom. sing.
and acc. pl. bouterez) buttress. See Butt an end, and cf. Butteris.]
1. (Arch.) A projecting mass of masonry, used for resisting the thrust of an arch, or for ornament and
symmetry.
When an external projection is used merely to stiffen a wall, it is a pier.
2. Anything which supports or strengthens. "The ground pillar and buttress of the good old cause of
nonconformity." South.
Flying buttress.
See Flying buttress.
Buttress
(But"tress) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buttressed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Buttressing.] To support with a
buttress; to prop; to brace firmly.
To set it upright again, and to prop and buttress it up for duration.
Burke.
Butt shaft
(Butt" shaft`) An arrow without a barb, for shooting at butts; an arrow. [Also but shaft.] Shak.
Butt weld
(Butt" weld`) See Butt weld, under Butt.
Buttweld
(Butt"weld`), v. t. To unite by a butt weld.
Butty
(But"ty) n. (Mining) One who mines by contract, at so much per ton of coal or ore.
Butyl
(Bu"tyl) n. [L. butyrum butter + -yl. See Butter.] (Chem.) A compound radical, regarded as
butane, less one atom of hydrogen.
Butylene
(Bu"ty*lene) n. [From Butyl.] (Chem.) Any one of three metameric hydrocarbons, C4H8, of
the ethylene series. They are gaseous or easily liquefiable.
Butyraceous
(Bu`ty*ra"ceous) a. [L. butyrum butter. See Butter.] Having the qualities of butter; resembling
butter.
Butyrate
(Bu"ty*rate) n. (Chem.) A salt of butyric acid.
Butyric
(Bu*tyr"ic) a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, butter.
Butyric acid,
C3H7.CO2H, an acid found in butter; an oily, limpid fluid, having the smell of rancid butter,
and an acrid taste, with a sweetish aftertaste, like that of ether. There are two metameric butyric acids,
called in distinction the normal- and iso- butyric acid. The normal butyric acid is the one common in
rancid butter.