Where does “butterball” come from?

butterball (English) comes from English Butter, from English butt, from Middle English butten, from Anglo-Norman buter, from Old French boter, from Old French bouter, from Frankish bautan, from Proto-West Germanic bautan — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

butterball (English): A round lump of a coagulated fat used in cooking...

Definitions

  1. A round lump of a coagulated fat used in cooking...

Ancestry of “butterball”, step by step

butterball traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Butter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishButterA soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk)
2EnglishbuttThe larger or thicker end of something; the blunt...
3Middle Englishbutten
4Anglo-Normanbuterto strike, finish
5Old Frenchboterto push, butt, strike; to strike; to push; thrust
6Old Frenchbouterto strike; to hit; to place; to put; to enter
7Frankishbautanto push, strike, beat; to hit, strike; to hit,...
8Proto-West Germanicbautanto beat
9Proto-Germanicbautanąto beat, push
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewd-to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

via English Ball

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBallsurname
2Middle EnglishbalA ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,...
3Old Englishbeallball
4EnglishbealA small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather...
5Old Englishhyllhill
6Albanianhullifurrow
7Proto-Germanichullizhill
8Proto-Indo-Europeankl̥Hníshill
9Proto-Indo-EuropeankelH-to rise, to be tall; hill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew-Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewd-Every word from Proto-Germanic bautaną