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Butt   /bət/   Listen
noun
But, Butt  n.  
1.
A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end. "Here is my journey's end, here my butt And very sea mark of my utmost sail." Note: As applied to land, the word is nearly synonymous with mete, and signifies properly the end line or boundary; the abuttal.
2.
The larger or thicker end of anything; the blunt end, in distinction from the sharp end; as, the butt of a rifle. Formerly also spelled but. See 2nd but, n. sense 2.
3.
A mark to be shot at; a target. "The groom his fellow groom at butts defies, And bends his bow, and levels with his eyes."
4.
A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed; as, the butt of the company. "I played a sentence or two at my butt, which I thought very smart."
5.
A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head of an animal; as, the butt of a ram.
6.
A thrust in fencing. "To prove who gave the fairer butt, John shows the chalk on Robert's coat."
7.
A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field. "The hay was growing upon headlands and butts in cornfields."
8.
(Mech.)
(a)
A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely together without scarfing or chamfering; also called butt joint.
(b)
The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to which the boxing is attached by the strap, cotter, and gib.
(c)
The portion of a half-coupling fastened to the end of a hose.
9.
(Shipbuilding) The joint where two planks in a strake meet.
10.
(Carp.) A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc.; so named because fastened on the edge of the door, which butts against the casing, instead of on its face, like the strap hinge; also called butt hinge.
11.
(Leather Trade) The thickest and stoutest part of tanned oxhides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks.
12.
The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the targets in rifle practice.
13.
The buttocks; as, get up off your butt and get to work; used as a euphemism, less objectionable than ass. (slang)
Synonyms: ass, rear end, derriere, behind, rump, heinie.
Butt chain (Saddlery), a short chain attached to the end of a tug.
Butt end. The thicker end of anything. See But end, under 2d But. "Amen; and make me die a good old man! That's the butt end of a mother's blessing."
A butt's length, the ordinary distance from the place of shooting to the butt, or mark.
Butts and bounds (Conveyancing), abuttals and boundaries. In lands of the ordinary rectangular shape, butts are the lines at the ends (F. bouts), and bounds are those on the sides, or sidings, as they were formerly termed.
Bead and butt. See under Bead.
Butt and butt, joining end to end without overlapping, as planks.
Butt weld (Mech.), a butt joint, made by welding together the flat ends, or edges, of a piece of iron or steel, or of separate pieces, without having them overlap. See Weld.
Full butt, headfirst with full force. (Colloq.) "The corporal... ran full butt at the lieutenant."



Butt  n.  A large cask or vessel for wine or beer. It contains two hogsheads. Note: A wine butt contains 126 wine gallons (= 105 imperial gallons, nearly); a beer butt 108 ale gallons (= about 110 imperial gallons).



Butt  n.  (Zool.) The common English flounder.



verb
Butt  v. t.  To strike by thrusting the head against; to strike with the head. "Two harmless lambs are butting one the other."



Butt  v. i.  (past & past part. butted; pres. part. butting)  
1.
To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut. (Written also but) "And Barnsdale there doth butt on Don's well-watered ground."
2.
To thrust the head forward; to strike by thrusting the head forward, as an ox or a ram. (See Butt, n.) "A snow-white steer before thine altar led, Butts with his threatening brows."






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Butt" Quotes from Famous Books



... Gilbert, call. I have lost some strength with the passing of years, but I have never lost my ability to shoot straight," and he just showed him the butt of a pistol in the pocket ...
— The Brown Mask • Percy J. Brebner

... test Brunhild casts a spear with such force that both Gunther and his invisible companion stagger and nearly fall, but, just as she is about to cry victory, Siegfried sends back the spear butt-end foremost and brings her to her knees. Veiling her dismay at this first defeat, Brunhild hurls the stone to a great distance and lands beside it with a flying leap. In Gunther's place the invisible ...
— The Book of the Epic • Helene A. Guerber

... of him, while Richard Tresidder had but scant courtesy paid him. When it became known that my father was disinherited, no matter how unjustly, these same folks discovered that Richard Tresidder was a very mine of wit and goodness, while my father was made a butt for fools' jokes. ...
— The Birthright • Joseph Hocking

... her? Give her back to me—or you die." He drew a pistol out of the breast-pocket of his coat. I seized the weapon by the barrel, and snatched it away from him. As the charge exploded harmlessly between us, I struck him on the head with the butt-end of the pistol. ...
— The Guilty River • Wilkie Collins

... Wilson was taking Sidney to Schwitter's, making her the butt of garage talk! The smiles of the men were evil. Joe's hands grew cold, his head hot. A red mist spread between him and the line of electric lights. He knew ...
— K • Mary Roberts Rinehart


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