English

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Etymology

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From butter +‎ ball.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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butterball (plural butterballs)

  1. A round lump of a coagulated fat used in cooking such as butter or margarine.
  2. (derogatory, slang) An overweight person.
    • 1988, Vicki Lansky, Fat-Proofing your Children – so that they Never Become Diet-Addicted Adults, page 62
      "What if your baby is a butterball? Does Fat-Proofing mean you should put your infant on diet?."
  3. A small North American duck, the bufflehead, Bucephala albeola.
    • 1917, Hunter-Trader-Trapper, volume 34, page 37:
      The skipper had his eye on a bunch of butterballs feeding not far from the boat. In fact there were ducks all around — though he did not tell me so.
  4. (Canada, US) A turkey.

Synonyms

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  NODES
Note 1