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Glite Dictionary
butte

butte

24 8.9
A steep hill with a flat top and slanted sides that rises alone from the land
  • noun
  • /bjuːt/
  • US
translation icon : cerro testigo
  • A lone tree clung to the edge of the steep butte, resilient against the harsh winds.

Fears that match the hawk haunted buttes out West.

Examples

  • And the full moon was just coming up over Dollar Butte.

    Let Him Go (2020)

  • How about Thumb Butte Hotshots?

    Only the Brave (2017)

  • The best starting point for great images is a drive up Steptoe Butte, 3,613 feet high.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The climb out of the gorge wound around steep-sided buttes of decomposed granite.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A distinctive orange band around inner-canyon mesas and buttes draws the viewer's gaze into the gorge's depths.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The hikers reached the summit of the butte and enjoyed the stunning views from its flat top.

  • As the sun set, the shadows of the butte stretched across the valley below.

Synonyms

mesa
vsbutte
11 7.2

A flat area of land with steep sides found in dry places

is a smaller isolated steep hill with a flat top

How Big

plateau
99 3.9
mountain
∞ 1.0
mesa
11 7.2
butte
  • US
24 8.9
hill
∞ 1.0
knoll
20 7.2

Surface Forms

butte singular
buttes plural

Etymology

Butte comes from the French word butte, which means 'mound' or 'small hill'. That's why a butte is a steep, flat-topped hill that stands alone in the landscape.