a fat unctuous substance, prepared from milk by heating or churning it.

It was late ere the Greeks appear to have had any notion of butter; their poets make no mention of it, and yet are frequently speaking of milk and cheese.

The Romans used butter no otherwise than as a medicine, never as a food.

The ancient Christians of Egypt burnt butter in their lamps instead of oil; and in the Roman churches, it was anciently allowed, during Christmas time, to burn butter instead of oil, on account of the great consumption of it otherways.

For the making of butter, when it has been churned, open the churn, and with both hands gather it well together, take it out of the butter-milk, and lay it into a very clean bowl, or earthen pan; and if the butter be designed to be used sweet, fill the pan with clear water, and work the butter in it to and fro, till it is brought to a firm consistence of itself, without any moisture. When this has been done, it must be scotched and sliced over with the point of a knife, every way as thick as possible, in order to fetch out the smallest hair, mote, bit of rag, strainer, or anything that may have happened to fall into it. Then spread it thin in a bowl, and work it well together, with such quantity of salt as you think fit, and make it up into dishes, pounds, half pounds, &c. The newer the butter is, the more wholesome and pleasant it is; and that which is made in May, is esteemed the best.

There are as many sorts of butter, as there are different milks of animals whereof to make it: That of the cow is most in use. It is used everywhere, and there is hardly any sauce made without it. The northern people, however, make more use of it than others.

Every barrel of butter, imported from abroad, pays a duty of 3s. 10½d. whereof 2s. 4½d. is drawn back on exporting it. Irish butter pays only a duty of 1s. 11½d., the hundred weight; whereof 1s. 8½d. is drawn back on exporting it.

Butter among chemists, a name given to several preparations, on account of their consistence resembling that of butter; as butter of antimony, of arsenic, of wax, of lead, of tin. See Chemistry.

Butter-bur, in botany. See Petasites.

Butter-fish. See Blennius.

Butterfly, the English name of a numerous genus of insects. See Papilio.

Butterfly-fish, a species of the blennius. See Blennius.

Butterfly-shell, in natural history. See Voluta.

Butteris, in the menage, an instrument of steel, fitted to a wooden handle, wherewith they pare the foot, or cut the hoof of a horse.

Butter-milk, a kind of serum that remains behind, after the butter is made.

Butter-wort, in botany. See Pinguicula.

Buttery, a room in the houses of noblemen and gentlemen, belonging to the butler, where he deposits the utensils belonging to his office, as table linen, napkins, pots, tankards, glasses, cruets, salvers, spoons, knives, forks, pepper, mustard, &c.

Buttock of a ship, is that part of her which is her breadth right aft, from the tack upwards; and a ship is said to have a broad or a narrow buttock, according as she is built broad or narrow at the transom.

Button, an article of dress, serving to fasten cloaths tight about the body, made of metal, silk, mohair, &c. in various forms. Metal-buttons are either cast in moulds, in the manner of other small works, (see Foundry), or made of thin plates of gold, silver, or brass, whose structure is very ingenious, though but of little use.

Buttons of all sorts are prohibited to be imported.

Button, among gardeners, denotes much the same with bud. See Bud.

Button, in the menage. Button of the reigns of a bridle, is a ring of leather, with the reins passed thro' it, which runs all along the length of the reins. To put a horse under the button, is when a horse is stopped without a rider upon his back, the reins being laid on his neck, and the button lowered so far down that the reins bring in the horse's head, and fix it to the true poulte or carriage. It is not only the horses which are managed in the hand that must be put under the button; for the same method must be taken with such horses as are bred between two pillars, before they are backed.

Button's bay, the name of the north part of Hudson's bay, in North America, whereby Sir Thomas Buttox Button attempted to find out a north-west passage to the East Indies. It lies between 80° and 100° W. long. and between 60° and 66° N. lat.