the part of a plant from which the roots spring or the part of a stalk or trunk nearest the roots
"The gardener carefully inspected the base of the oak tree to check for new shoots emerging directly from its butt."
a victim of ridicule or pranks
"The pranksters made sure not to make me their butt after I accidentally spilled coffee on everyone's laptop screens."
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
"he deserves a good kick in the butt"
"are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?"
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
"He took a long drag from his butt as he waited at the bus stop."
a joint made by fastening ends together without overlapping
"The carpenter carefully aligned and nailed the two wooden planks to form a butt joint for the fence rail."
a large cask (especially one holding a volume equivalent to 2 hogsheads or 126 gallons)
"The cooper carefully measured the new oak butt before rolling it into the cellar for fermentation."
The larger or thicker end of something; the blunt end, in distinction from the sharp or narrow end
"The old man used his wooden butt to carry firewood up the steep hill."
The buttocks (used as a euphemism in idiomatic expressions; less objectionable than arse/ass).
A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head; a head butt.
An English measure of capacity for liquids, containing 126 wine gallons which is one-half tun; equivalent to the pipe.
Any of various flatfish such as sole, plaice or turbot
A heavy two-wheeled cart.
In plain English: A butt is a person's rear end.
"After sitting in the movie theater for two hours, his butt started to hurt."
Usage: When referring to the historical heavy two-wheeled cart used for transporting goods, use "butt" strictly in that specific archaic or nautical context. In modern everyday speech, this word is almost exclusively used as a vulgar slang term for a person's rear end, so avoid it entirely unless you intend to be offensive or are writing about historical transportation.
To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut.
"The bull turned and butted him squarely in the chest before charging again."
To strike bluntly, particularly with the head.
In plain English: To butt means to push someone with your head or horns.
"The ram instinctively butted his challenger during the competition."
Usage: To butt means to push or shove someone forcefully with your shoulder or head, often in an aggressive manner. Use this verb when describing a physical collision where you drive into another person or object rather than striking them with your hand.
A surname.
"My neighbor, Mr. Butt, always waves as he walks his dog down the street."
The word "butt" comes from Old English, where it originally meant a small piece of land or an end. Over time, the meaning shifted to refer specifically to the rounded lower part of the human body.