Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “butterscotch” come from?

butterscotch (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...

butterscotch (English): A hard candy made from butter, brown sugar, syrup...

Definitions

  1. A hard candy made from butter, brown sugar, syrup...

Ancestry of “butterscotch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishButter—
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...

Words derived from “butterscotch”

  • butterscotchy
  • scotcheroo
  • butterscotchlike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →