butter sauce

American  

noun

1. a sauce made of melted butter, often diluted with water, sometimes thickened with flour or egg yolk, or both, and seasoned with lemon juice.

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Etymology

Origin of butter sauce

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

After a few runs, settle in for a hearty lunch of schnitzel and spinach dumplings cooked in brown butter sauce at Filzalm, a cozy mountain hut perched 4,265 feet above sea level.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026

There, chef Jess Weaver sauteed a cultivated chicken breast in a white wine butter sauce with tomatoes, capers and green onions.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 21, 2023

Make shrimp scampi with a garlic, white wine and butter sauce.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2023

In a large pan or skillet, make the brown butter sauce by melting one stick of high-quality, unsalted butter and swirling it until it's nice and toasty.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2023

Styx spoke over me, his voice as smooth as Mom’s butter sauce.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon