*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Butt

* As an English surname, from Middle English butte (“target, goal”), from French but (“target, aim”). * Also as an English surname, from butte (“isolated hill”). * Also as an English surname, from butt (sense 3) (“cask,

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from English. · A surname from German. · A surname from Kashmiri.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As an English surname, from Middle English butte (“target, goal”), from French but (“target, aim”). * Also as an English surname, from butte (“isolated hill”). * Also as an English surname, from butt (sense 3) (“cask, bottle”). * Also as an English surname, from a nickname related to butt (sense 1) (“thick end”). * As an English and German surname, from butt (sense 4) (“type of flounder”). * As a Kashmiri surname, spelling variant of Bhatt.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionbutteenm · target, goal
  • Derivation mentionbutfr · target, aim
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "butte",
        "t": "target, goal"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English butte (“target, goal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "but",
        "t": "target, aim"
      },
      "expansion": "French but (“target, aim”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ks",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Kashmiri"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "butte",
      "butte#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "but",
      "but#French"
    ],
    [
      "butte",
      "butte#English"
    ],
    [
      "butt (sense 3)",
      "butt#Etymology 3"
    ],
    [
      "butt (sense 1)",
      "butt#Etymology 1"
    ],
    [
      "butt (sense 4)",
      "butt#Etymology 4"
    ],
    [
      "Bhatt",
      "Bhatt#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from English.",
        "A surname from German.",
        "A surname from Kashmiri."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e4dee06a52a034bebc16a3f769793f2f5f359a5647192f4717c69c1c073ab8bb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1ab71578937b97e0a9a6509ac48bfd774f134e8becab7bf6db5ee982376a5d9d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 803125
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Butt →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QnV0dA