French word

butter

Pronunciation

IPA/byte/

Meaning

  • verbearth up

Example

Chaque printemps, je butte les rangs de pommes de terre.

Each spring, I earth up the rows of potatoes.

Illustration for butter (earth up)

More examples

Pour protéger les tubercules, on butte légèrement le sol.

To protect the tubers, one lightly mounds the soil.

Core concept

Earth is piled along a plant row, making a raised ridge around the stems.

Similar words

beurrer: To spread butter or oil over bread or food.
buter: To stumble against something.
planter: To put a seed or young plant into the soil.
arroser: To water plants.

Definition in French

Signifie relever le sol en amassant de la terre le long d'une rangée de plantes pour former une butte.

Word origin

French butter is formed from the noun butte, meaning a small mound, with the verb-forming suffix -er.

Usage tips

  • As a transitive verb, butter takes the plant row directly as its object, as in butter les rangs de pommes de terre, without de.

Other meanings

  • ridgeverb

Word lists with this word