[a. OF. bote-r, buter (mod.F. bouter) to strike, thrust, project. But senses 3 and 4 have been influenced by association with BUTT v.2; and quotations occur of which it is difficult to say to which verb they mainly belong.]
1. intr. To strike, thrust, shove. Now almost always to strike or push with the head or horns, or with allusion to that sense. Const. at, against.
c. 1200. Ormin, 2810. Min child tatt i min wambe liþ … bigann forrþrihht anan To stirenn & to buttenn.
c. 1300. Havelok, 2323. Buttinge with sharpe speres … Wrastling with laddes, putting of ston.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Sept., 125. That with theyr hornes butten.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1811), II. xxiii. 150. Whenever he has the power, depend upon it, he will butt at one as valiantly as the other.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xliv. (1856), 406. We have butted several times rudely against projecting floes.
1858. Doran, Crt. Fools, 72. Amused by … a couple of rams butting at each other.
1832. Blackw. Mag., XXXI. 117. It [Reform Bill] will butt forcefully against the ramparts of aristocracy.
1859. Tennyson, Enid, 1525. Amazed am I, Beholding how you butt against my wish.
c. To pitch or dive head-foremost. rare.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 5175. The knight donward gan butten Amidward the hors gutten.
1884. J. Colborne, Hicks Pasha, 160. As they came within our zone of fire, they butted forward, hit to death.
2. trans. To strike, esp. with the head or horns; to drive or push away, out, etc., by blows with the head or horns.
1590. Greene, Neuer too late (1600), 99. The eaw was coy and butted him.
1607. Shaks., Cor., IV. i. 2. The beast With many heads butts me away.
1630. Drayton, Muses Elizium Nymphal, 12 (R.). I haue a Lamb … Into laughter it will put you To see how prettily ’twill But you.
1826. Scott, Woodst., iv. 191. The very deer there will butt a sick or wounded buck from the herd.
1848. Kingsley, Yeast, in Fraser’s Mag., XXXVIII. 206. That horrid gazelle has butted him in, and he’ll be drowned.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., x. (1856), 73.
3. To come or strike ‘dead’ against. Of the teeth of wheels: to come in contact at their crowns so as to stop each other.
1875. Bedford, Sailor’s Pocket-bk., v. (ed. 2), 190. In winding up chronometers, the turns of the key should … be counted, and the last turn made gently … until it is felt to butt.
1884. F. Britten, Watch & Clockm., 37. The tendency of pinion leaves to butt the wheel teeth.
4. intr. To run out, project as an end, jut. Sometimes quasi-refl. with out, into.
1523. Fitzherb., Surv., 40 b. The long dolez yt butte fro the said northe felde to the said broke.
1535. Coverdale, Jer. xlviii. 32. The braunches off Iazer but vnto the see.
1611. Coryat, Crudities, 184. A little square gallery butting out from the Tower.
1644. Digby, Nat. Bodies, xx. (1658), 228. The nose of a weathercock butteth it self into the wind.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 40. The Cone, or obtuse Tip of this Capsula butts or shoots itself into the basis of the Liver.
1715. Desaguliers, Fires Impr., 118. Leave a small part butting forward into the opening.
† b. To butt on, to, over against: to jut out towards, to be opposite to. Obs.
c. 1534. trans. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (1846), I. 1. Britaine … beinge an Ilonde in the ocean sea buttinge over agaynste the Frenche shore.
1571. Campion, Hist. Irel., i. 4. Leinster butteth upon England.
1624. Heywood, Gunaik., II. 92. That part … which butted upon the west.
1647. Lilly, Chr. Astrol., xxv. 154. A Ground … butting or lying to that quarter of Heaven, as is formerly directed.
¶ 5. With association of BUTT sb.4 a. trans. To aim a missile. b. intr. To aim.
a. 1593. Marlowe, Dido, III. iv. Whenas he butts his beams on Flora’s bed.
1652. Urquhart, Jewel, Wks. (1834), 271. The meer scope thereof, and end whereat it buts.
6. The verb stem (sense 1) is used adverbially with some verbs of motion (as go, meet, run), often with the intensifying adv. full, implying ‘point-blank’ meeting or violent collision. [Cf. OF. de plain bout (Godef. s.v. Bot).]
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1112. Ffulle butt in þe frunt the fromonde he hittez.
c. 1430. Syr Gener., 4587. He … smote Darel In middes of the sheld ful butt.
1600. Holland, Livy, II. xix. 56. Tarquinius Superbus … ran full but against him.
1673. R. Head, Canting Acad., 30. I … met full-but with my Comrade.
1752. Fielding, Amelia, VIII. i. Before he arrived at the shop, a gentleman stopt him full butt.
1832. M. Scott, in Blackw. Mag., XXXII. 474. They … ran butt at each other like ram-goats.
1837. Marryat, Dog-fiend, vi. The corporal … ran full butt at the lieutenant.
