Butt
/bʌt/noun
The rounded back part of the human body below the waist, or the end of something.
Did you know?The body-sense of “butt” likely developed from an older word for a thick end or stump, while the same spelling also became a separate word for a cask or large barrel — proof that English keeps turning blunt objects into slang.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
butt
“A thick end, stump, or short blunt object”
Middle English
ME
butt
“The end or blunt part of a thing; also a target or mark”
14th Century
ME
buttock
“One of the two rounded parts of the human rump”
Early Modern English
English
butt
“The buttocks; the hindmost part of the body”
Modern English
English
butt
“The rounded rear part of the body; also the end of an object or a cask”