apple butter
3
2.1
- noun
- /ˈæpəl ˈbʌtər/
- US
:
mantequilla de manzana
- He and Josie were in the kitchen spreading apple butter on saltines.
- a tablespoon of apple butter
- a jar of apple butter
- make apple butter
Examples
-
"Mama made her first batch of apple butter for the fall, and she wanted you to have some."
Fiction book (2000) -
She took a biscuit, her ankles crossed and her knees apart, and put some apple butter on it.
Fiction book (2002) -
"His mama sent some apple butter down for me."
Fiction book (2000) -
Well, I put up 17 quarts of this apple butter.
-
I purchased some apples so I can make some great crock pot apple butter.
Blog text (19) -
Perfect for sandwiches, sliced thick and topped with apple butter or served with a smear of butter.
Blog text (6) -
So many delicious autumn recipes to be made: from apple butter and mini tarts to apple crisp and dumplings.
Blog text (25) -
At the bottom was a jar of homemade apple butter for the hardtack biscuits he was forced to eat in the trenches.
Fiction book (1992) -
You can spread apple butter on toast for a delicious breakfast.
-
She enjoyed her pancakes topped with apple butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
How Thick
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally built from 'apple' (the fruit source) + 'butter' (a spread), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a spread made from apples rather than a literal dairy butter. While 'butter' often denotes a dairy product, the noun-noun compounding pattern that names a product made from a source (apple + butter) is common and predictable, making the sense transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Apple butter comes from cooks who slowly cooked apples with sugar and spices until the fruit became very dark and smooth like butter. That's why apple butter, with apple and butter as the parts, means a thick, dark, sweet 'spread' made from apples.