buttery

¹ American  

[buht-uh-ree] / ˈbʌt ə ri /

adjective

1. like, containing, or spread with butter.

2. resembling butter, as in smoothness or softness of texture.

   a vest of buttery leather.

3. grossly flattering; smarmy.

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buttery ² American  

[buht-uh-ree, buh-tree] / ˈbʌt ə ri, ˈbʌ tri /

noun

plural

butteries

1. Chiefly New England. a room or rooms in which the provisions, wines, and liquors of a household are kept; pantry; larder.

2. a room in colleges, especially at Oxford and Cambridge universities, from which articles of food and drink are sold or dispensed to the students.

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buttery ¹ British  

/ ˈbʌtərɪ /

adjective

1. containing, like, or coated with butter

2. informal grossly or insincerely flattering; obsequious

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buttery ² British  

/ ˈbʌtərɪ /

noun

1. a room for storing foods or wines

2. (in some universities) a room in which food is supplied or sold to students

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Other Word Forms

• butteriness noun

Etymology

Origin of buttery¹

First recorded in 1350–1400;  Middle English buttry, buttrie; butter, -y ¹

Origin of buttery²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English boterie, butry, from Middle French, Old French, from Late Latin botāria (derivative of bota, butta “cask”) + -erie; butt ⁴, -ery

Example Sentences

Lactococcus lactis was associated with buttery aromas, while Limosilactobacillus fermentum produced sugar alcohols that can add a mild sweetness.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

“It’s not a grind for me,” she said in a buttery yellow-and-black Chanel coat from Spring/Summer 2026.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

A first course of kampachi arrived dressed with arctic char roe, ground cherry, serrano, ponzu, and cucumber — buttery and delicate, with a bright, precise balance that lingered just long enough.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

Today it's better known as the land of the Musang King — a buttery, bittersweet variety that the Chinese have dubbed the "Hermès of durians", as prized as the French fashion house.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

They offered him dinner at the buttery there in the Sea-Guild; a wizard seldom has to ask for his dinner.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin