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But·ler¹

(bŭtlər), Samuel 1612-1680.

English poet remembered primarily for his three-part work Hudibras (1663-1678), a venomous mock-heroic satire on the Puritans.

But·ler²

(bŭtlər), Samuel 1835-1902.

British writer best known for Erewhon (1872), a utopian fantasy, and The Way of All Flesh (1903), a semiautobiographical novel satirizing family life in mid-Victorian England.

Butler, Nicholas Murray 1862-1947.

American educator and president of Columbia University (1902-1945) who advocated peace through education. He shared the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize.

But·ler

(bŭtlər), Benjamin Franklin 1818-1893.

American army officer and politician. His harsh rule as military governor of New Orleans (May-December 1862) led to charges of corruption and Butler's removal. He later opened the impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson (1868).

but·ler

(bŭtlər)

The head servant in a household who is usually in charge of food service, the care of silverware, and the deportment of the other servants.

[Middle English, from Old French bouteillier, bottle bearer, from bouteille, botele, bottle; see BOTTLE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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