different between butter vs handsome

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: b??t?r, IPA^(key): /?b?t??/
  • • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?b?t?/, [?b?t??]
    • (General American) IPA^(key): /?b?t?/, [?b???]
    • (Scotland, Wales) IPA^(key): /?b?t?/, [?b???], /?b?t?/
  • Rhymes: -?t?(?)
• (Northern England, Midlands) IPA^(key): /?b?t?/
  • Rhymes: -?t?(?)
• Hyphenation: but?ter

Etymology 1

From Middle English buter, butter, from Old English butere, from Proto-West Germanic *buter?, from Latin b?t?rum, from Ancient Greek ???????? (boút?ron, “cow cheese”), compound of ???? (boûs, “ox, cow”) and ????? (t?rós, “cheese”).

Noun

butter (usually uncountable, plural butters)

1. A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
2. Any of various foodstuffs made from other foods or oils, similar in consistency to, eaten like or intended as a substitute for butter (preceded by the name of the food used to make it).

3. (obsolete, chemistry) Any specific soft substance.

4. (aviation, slang) A smooth plane landing.

Derived terms

Related terms

• butterfly
• butter-ham

Translations

Verb

butter (third-person singular simple present butters, present participle buttering, simple past and past participle buttered)

1. (transitive) To spread butter on.

2. To move one's weight backwards or forwards onto the tips or tails of one's skis or snowboard so only the tip or tail is in contact with the snow.
3. (slang, obsolete, transitive) To increase (stakes) at every throw of dice, or every game.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• butyraceous
• ghee

Etymology 2

butt +? -er

Noun

butter (plural butters)

1. Someone who butts, or who butts in.
   • 2005, David E. Fastovsky, David B. Weishampel, The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs (page 156)

     […] these animals lacked self-correcting mechanisms of the kind seen in modern head-butters such as goats and big-horn sheep that would have kept the tremendous forces aligned with the rest of the skeleton.

Etymology 3

Derived from the aviation slang term

Adjective

butter (comparative more butter, superlative most butter)

1. Very smooth, very soft

   That landing was total butter!

French

Etymology

From butte.

Verb

butter

1. to heap

Conjugation

Further reading

• “butter” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Verb

butter

1. inflection of buttern:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. singular imperative

Middle English

Noun

butter

1. Alternative form of buter

Swedish

Adjective

butter (comparative buttrare, superlative buttrast)

1. grumpy

Declension

Anagrams

• brutet, buttre

West Flemish

Noun

butter ?

1. Alternative form of beuter

English

Etymology

From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand +? -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th century), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th century).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?hæn.s?m/ or occasionally /?hænd.s?m/~/?hænt.s?m/
• Hyphenation: hand?some
• Homophone: Hansom

Adjective

handsome (comparative more handsome or handsomer, superlative most handsome or handsomest)

1. (of people, things, etc) Having a good appearance; good-looking.
   • 1916, On H.R. 4683, site for post-office building at Chicago, Ill, page 117:

     On the opposite side of the street, on the corner, is the city hall, a very handsome building of brick and stone.

   • 2006, Richard Leviton, The Gods in Their Cities, iUniverse (?ISBN), page 44:

     Often, human mortals describe their visits to the Tuatha's [places] in similar terms: they were great bright places, occupied by exceedingly handsome men and women, that sported wonderful crystal chairs, inexhaustible supplies of mead or ale ...

   1. (of a man or boy) Visually attractive; pleasant looking, good-looking.

   2. (of a woman) beautiful, or (especially in later usage) striking, impressive and elegantly proportioned.
      • 1662, Samuel Pepys, diary

        I saw, I confess, some good dancing and some handsome women, which was all my pleasure.
2. Good, appealing, appropriate.
   1. (of weather) Fine, clear and bright.
      • 1808, John Pinkerton, A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in All Parts of the World, page 513:

        Sunday, the sixth, we heaved up our sheet-anchor again, the day beginning with little wind, and continued handsome weather till eight at night, when the wind came to S. S. W. and it fell a snowing.

      • 1911, Farm Chemicals, page 60:

        The story goes that James Whitcomb Riley, the poet, on a beautiful spring day, in making his way from his home to his office, was accosted by numerous friends on the way who were exclaiming most extravagantly on the beauty of the day. It was "Good morning, Mr. Riley, a fine day;" "Good morning, Mr. Riley, […] a handsome day;" […] .

   2. Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease; appropriate.
      • 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, Volume I, Chapter 2

        For a few days, every morning visit in Highbury included some mention of the handsome letter Mrs. Weston had received. “I suppose you have heard of the handsome letter Mr. Frank Churchill has written to Mrs. Weston? I understand it was a very handsome letter, indeed. Mr. Woodhouse told me of it. Mr. Woodhouse saw the letter, and he says he never saw such a handsome letter in his life.”

3. Generous or noble in character.
   • 1859, George Meredith, The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, Chapter 11:

     I'm a plain man, Mr. Feverel. Above board with me, and you'll find me handsome.

4. Ample; moderately large.

   Synonyms: hefty, substantial
5. (obsolete, said of things and people) Dexterous; skillful.

Usage notes

The sense of good looking was originally equally applicable to both sexes, but is now used mostly of men. In current usage, when applied to a woman it may connote a non-traditional or masculine form of beauty, as opposed to more neutral alternatives such as beautiful or attractive.

Derived terms

• do the handsome thing

Translations

Verb

handsome (third-person singular simple present handsomes, present participle handsoming, simple past and past participle handsomed)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To render handsome.

References

Anagrams

• mashed on