<B>buttress, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>a support built against a wall or building to strengthen it. <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. While I cannot be called a pillar I must be regarded as a buttress of the Church because I support it from outside (attributed to Viscount Melbourne).</I> (SYN) pier. <DD><B> 2. </B>a projecting portion of a hill or mountain resembling the buttresses of a building. <DD><B> 3. </B>a bony process or protuberance, especially a horny growth at the heel of a horse's hoof. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1a. </B>to strengthen with a buttress. <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. The pilot buttressed his report of the flight with photographs.</I> (SYN) prop. <DD><B> 2. </B>to conceal by a buttress. <BR> <I>Ex. Beside the portal doors, Buttress'd from moonlight, stands he (Keats).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="buttry">
<B>buttry, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a pantry; buttery. </DL>
<A NAME="buttshaft">
<B>butt shaft,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a blunt or unbarbed arrow. </DL>
<A NAME="buttstock">
<B>buttstock, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the stock behind the breech of a firearm. </DL>
<A NAME="buttweld">
<B>butt weld,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a weld formed by joining the flattened ends of two pieces of iron or other metal at white heat; a butt-joint made by welding. </DL>
<A NAME="buttweld">
<B>butt-weld, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to join with a butt weld. </DL>
<A NAME="butty">
<B>butty, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British Informal.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a companion. <DD><B> 2. </B>a labor manager in a mine. </DL>
<A NAME="buttygang">
<B>butty-gang, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a syndicate sharing the work and profits of a big job. </DL>
<A NAME="butut">
<B>butut, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tut</B> or <B>-tuts.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a unit of money in Gambia, equal to 1/100 of a dalasi. </DL>
<A NAME="butyl">
<B>butyl, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a univalent hydrocarbon radical obtained from butane. There are four isomeric univalent radicals. <BR> <I>Ex. Butyl is used in the manufacture of automobile inner tubes, electric insulation and mechanical goods (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="butylalcohol">
<B>butyl alcohol,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of four isomeric alcohols derived from butane and used as a solvent for resins, adhesives, and varnishes; butanol. </DL>
<A NAME="butylate">
<B>butylate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to introduce a butyl into (a compound). </DL>
<A NAME="butylene">
<B>butylene, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a gaseous hydrocarbon of the ethylene series, often used in making synthetic rubber. Butylene is found in three isomeric forms (butenes). </DL>
<A NAME="butylrubber">
<B>butyl rubber,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a synthetic rubber that holds air and gases much better than natural rubber and resists aging, heat, and the effects of gases. Butyl rubber is made by the copolymerization of isobutylene (a gas) with isoprene (a liquid). </DL>
<A NAME="butyraceous">
<B>butyraceous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of the nature of butter; producing or containing butter. </DL>
<A NAME="butyral">
<B>butyral, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an acetal of butyraldehyde. </DL>
<A NAME="butyraldehyde">
<B>butyraldehyde, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an inflammable liquid used especially in making rubber products and synthetic resins. </DL>
<A NAME="butyrate">
<B>butyrate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a salt or ester of butyric acid. </DL>
<A NAME="butyric">
<B>butyric, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or derived from butyric acid. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or derived from butter. </DL>
<A NAME="butyricacid">
<B>butyric acid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an oily, colorless liquid that has an unpleasant odor. It is formed especially by fermentation in rancid butter and cheese. </DL>
<A NAME="butyrin">
<B>butyrin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a yellowish, liquid fat found in butter, formed from butyric acid and glycerin. </DL>
<A NAME="buxaceous">
<B>buxaceous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> belonging to the box family of plants. </DL>
<A NAME="buxom">
<B>buxom, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>plump and good to look at; healthy and cheerful. <BR> <I>Ex. a hearty buxom lass.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Archaic.) blithe; lively; gay. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Archaic.) submissive. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) flexible. adv. <B>buxomly.</B> noun <B>buxomness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="buy">
<B>buy, </B>verb, <B>bought,</B> <B>buying,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to get by paying a price, usually in money; purchase. <BR> <I>Ex. You can buy a pencil for five cents.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to get in exchange for something else, or by making some sacrifice. <BR> <I>Ex. Enduring friendship can only be bought by unfailing affection.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to bribe. <BR> <I>Ex. It was charged that two members of the jury had been bought by the defendant.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to be sufficient to purchase or procure. <BR> <I>Ex. Gold cannot buy health.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to redeem (obsolete except in theological use). <DD><B> 6. </B>(U.S. Informal, Figurative.) to accept, especially as valid or feasible. <BR> <I>Ex. If you say it's true, I'll buy it.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to buy things. <DD><B> 2. </B>to serve as a buyer; be a buyer. <BR> <I>Ex. to buy for a retail chain.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>(Informal.) a bargain. <BR> <I>Ex. That famous old book was a real buy.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) a thing bought; purchase. <DD><B> 3. </B>the act of buying. <BR><I>expr. <B>buy in,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to lay in a stock of. </I> <I>Ex. Many farmers buy in ewes in autumn (London Times).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to buy back one's property at an auction when the bids are not high enough. <BR> <I>Ex. An auctioneer, at the moment of non-sale, should be required to state plainly to his audience that an item has been bought in (Theodore Crombie).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>buy into,</B> </I>to obtain an interest or footing in by purchase, as of the shares of a joint-stock company. <BR> <I>Ex. Instead of a sponsor buying into a program (he could not buy into a magazine article), the new plan is to sell commercial time only to the advertiser and keep the programs under the control of the broadcasters (D. B. Lucas).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>buy off,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to get rid of (trouble, interference, or any other obstacle) by paying money to. </I> <I>Ex. ... to buy off the presence of troops by enormous gifts to their captains (Richard C. Trench).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to bribe. <BR> <I>Ex. The crook tried to buy off the guard.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>buy out,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to buy all the shares, rights, merchandise, or other holdings of. </I> <I>Ex. to buy out a business, buy a person out.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to relinquish a commitment by payment of money. <BR> <I>Ex. He bought himself out of the army.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>buy over,</B> </I>to bribe. <BR> <I>Ex. [He] had bought the soldiers over to a man (M. W. Freer).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>buy up,</B> </I>to buy all that one can of or all that is available. <BR> <I>Ex. The new owner agreed to buy up all of the old merchandise in the store.</I> adj. <B>buyable.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="buyback">
<B>buy-back, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a buying back; repurchase. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or involving a repurchase, especially the repurchase of crude oil by the producer from the government of the country which owns the oil. </DL>
<A NAME="buydown">
<B>buy-down</B> or <B>buydown, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a subsidy by a builder or real-estate developer that lowers a buyer's monthly mortgage payments for a specified period. </DL>
<A NAME="buyer">
<B>buyer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who buys; a purchaser. (SYN) customer, patron. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person whose work is buying goods for a department store or other business; purchasing agent. </DL>
<A NAME="buyersmarket">
<B>buyer's market,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an economic condition that arises when more goods are offered for sale than people are immediately willing to buy. Prices are usually low in a buyer's market. </DL>
<A NAME="buyersstrike">
<B>buyer's strike,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a combined refusal of consumers to buy in protest against high prices. </DL>
<A NAME="buyout">
<B>buy-out</B> or <B>buyout, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the purchase of an entire company or of the entire stock of a product. <BR> <I>Ex. a conglomerate buyout.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="buzkashi">
<B>buzkashi, </B>noun, or <B>buz kashi,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a sport of Afghanistan, involving competitive riding of horses for the possession of a dead goat. <BR> <I>Ex. The players in the game of buz kashi do not form teams. The object of the game is not to prove one group better than another, but to find a champion (Listener).</I> </DL>
