But"ton, v. i. To be fastened by a button or buttons; as, the coat will not button.
But"ton*ball` (&?;), n. (Bot.) See Buttonwood.
But"ton*bush` (&?;), n. (Bot.) A shrub (Cephalanthus occidentalis) growing by the waterside; -- so called from its globular head of flowers. See Capitulum.
But"ton*hole` (&?;), n. The hole or loop in which a button is caught.
But"ton*hole`, v. t. To hold at the button or buttonhole; to detain in conversation to weariness; to bore; as, he buttonholed me a quarter of an hour.
But"ton*mold` (&?;), n. A disk of bone, wood, or other material, which is made into a button by covering it with cloth. [Written also buttonmould.]
Fossil buttonmolds, joints of encrinites. See Encrinite.
But"tons (&?;), n. A boy servant, or page, -- in allusion to the buttons on his livery. [Colloq.] Dickens.
But"ton*weed` (&?;), n. (Bot.) The name of several plants of the genera Spermacoce and Diodia, of the Madder family.
But"ton*wood` (&?;), n. (Bot.) The Platanus occidentalis, or American plane tree, a large tree, producing rough balls, from which it is named; -- called also buttonball tree, and, in some parts of the United States, sycamore. The California buttonwood is P. racemosa.
But"ton*y (&?;), a. Ornamented with a large number of buttons. "The buttony boy." Thackeray. "My coat so blue and buttony." W. S. Gilbert.
But"tress (&?;), n. [OE. butrasse, boterace, fr. F. bouter to push; cf. OF. bouteret (nom. sing. and acc. pl. bouterez) buttress. See Butt an end, and cf. Butteris.] 1. (Arch.) A projecting mass of masonry, used for resisting the thrust of an arch, or for ornament and symmetry.
When an external projection is used merely to stiffen a wall, it is a pier.
2. Anything which supports or strengthens. "The ground pillar and buttress of the good old cause of nonconformity." South.
Flying buttress. See Flying buttress.
But"tress (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buttressed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Buttressing.] To support with a buttress; to prop; to brace firmly.
To set it upright again, and to prop and buttress it up for duration.
Burke.
Butt" shaft` (&?;) An arrow without a barb, for shooting at butts; an arrow. [Also but shaft.] Shak.
Butt" weld` (&?;). See Butt weld, under Butt.
Butt"weld`, v. t. To unite by a butt weld.
But"ty (&?;), n. (Mining) One who mines by contract, at so much per ton of coal or ore.
Bu"tyl (&?;), n. [L. butyrum butter + -yl. See Butter.] (Chem.) A compound radical, regarded as butane, less one atom of hydrogen.
Bu"ty*lene (&?;), n. [From Butyl.] (Chem.) Any one of three metameric hydrocarbons, C4H8, of the ethylene series. They are gaseous or easily liquefiable.
Bu`ty*ra"ceous (&?;), a. [L. butyrum butter. See Butter.] Having the qualities of butter; resembling butter.
Bu"ty*rate (&?;), n. (Chem.) A salt of butyric acid.
Bu*tyr"ic (&?;), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, butter.
Butyric acid, C3H7.CO2H, an acid found in butter; an oily, limpid fluid, having the smell of rancid butter, and an acrid taste, with a sweetish aftertaste, like that of ether. There are two metameric butyric acids, called in distinction the normal- and iso- butyric acid. The normal butyric acid is the one common in rancid butter.
Bu"ty*rin (&?;), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A butyrate of glycerin; a fat contained in small quantity in milk, which helps to give to butter its peculiar flavor.
Bu`ty*rom"e*ter (&?;), n. [L. butyrum butter + -meter.] An instrument for determining the amount of fatty matter or butter contained in a sample of milk.
Bu"ty*rone (&?;), n. [Butyric + - one.] (Chem.) A liquid ketone obtained by heating calcium butyrate.
Bu"ty*rous (&?;), a. Butyraceous.
Bux"e*ous (&?;), a. [L. buxeus, fr. buxus the box tree.] Belonging to the box tree.
Bux"ine (&?;), n. (Chem.) An alkaloid obtained from the Buxus sempervirens, or common box tree. It is identical with bebeerine; -- called also buxina.
Bux"om (&?;), a. [OE. buxum, boxom, buhsum, pliable, obedient, AS. bcsum, bhsum (akin to D. buigzaam blexible, G. biegsam); bgan to bow, bend + -sum, E. - some. See Bow to bend, and -some.] 1. Yielding; pliable or compliant; ready to obey; obedient; tractable; docile; meek; humble. [Obs.]
So wild a beast, so tame ytaught to be,
And buxom to his bands, is joy to see.
Spenser.
I submit myself unto this holy church of Christ, to be ever buxom and obedient to the ordinance of it.
Foxe.
2. Having the characteristics of health, vigor, and comeliness, combined with a gay, lively manner; stout and rosy; jolly; frolicsome.
A daughter fair,
So buxom, blithe, and debonair.
Milton.
A parcel of buxom bonny dames, that were laughing, singing, dancing, and as merry as the day was long.
Tatler.
-- Bux"om*ly, adv. -- Bux"om*ness, n.
Buy (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bought (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Buying (&?;).] [OE. buggen, buggen, bien, AS. bycgan, akin to OS. buggean, Goth. bugjan.] 1. To acquire the ownership of (property) by giving an accepted price or consideration therefor, or by agreeing to do so; to acquire by the payment of a price or value; to purchase; -- opposed to sell.
Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou wilt sell thy necessaries.
B. Franklin.
2. To acquire or procure by something given or done in exchange, literally or figuratively; to get, at a cost or sacrifice; to buy pleasure with pain.
Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Prov. xxiii. 23.
To buy again. See Againbuy. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To buy off. (a) To influence to compliance; to cause to bend or yield by some consideration; as, to buy off conscience. (b) To detach by a consideration given; as, to buy off one from a party. -- To buy out (a) To buy off, or detach from. Shak. (b) To purchase the share or shares of in a stock, fund, or partnership, by which the seller is separated from the company, and the purchaser takes his place; as, A buys out B. (c) To purchase the entire stock in trade and the good will of a business. -- To buy in, to purchase stock in any fund or partnership. -- To buy on credit, to purchase, on a promise, in fact or in law, to make payment at a future day. -- To buy the refusal (of anything), to give a consideration for the right of purchasing, at a fixed price, at a future time.
Buy, v. i. To negotiate or treat about a purchase.
I will buy with you, sell with you.
Shak.
Buy"er (&?;), n. One who buys; a purchaser.