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Glite Dictionary
drawn butter

drawn butter

1 6.3
Melted butter with the solid parts of milk removed that is used as a sauce for seafood
  • noun
  • /drɔn ˈbʌtər/
  • US
translation icon : mantequilla clarificada
  • The lobster was served with drawn butter on the side.
  • served with drawn butter

Examples

  • The recipe calls for drawn butter as the base of the sauce.

  • He melted drawn butter to drizzle over the steamed vegetables.

  • Lobster is often served with a side of drawn butter for dipping.

  • Many people enjoy drawn butter with crab legs.

  • The steamed lobster was served with melted drawn butter and lemon wedges on the side.

  • At the seafood restaurant, they always offer drawn butter as a dipping sauce for crab legs.

  • I enjoyed grilled shrimp that came with a small dish of drawn butter for dipping.

Synonyms

clarified butter
vsdrawn butter
1 3.6

A clear cooking fat made by melting butter and removing water and solid bits of milk

is used mainly as a warm sauce for seafood

Surface Forms

drawn butter singular
drawn butters plural

Morphology

draw + butter

The phrase is compositionally 'butter that has been drawn', but the everyday B1 sense of 'draw' (to pull) does not clearly convey the specialized culinary meaning 'melted/clarified'. While the past‑participle pattern may cue that this is a processed form of butter, the specific sense is domain‑specific and not reliably predictable for learners, so partial transparency applies.

Etymology

Drawn butter comes from the cooking action called drawn, where cooks heat butter and 'draw' off the watery part and milk solids so only the clear, golden fat remains. So drawn butter now means butter that has been melted and cleaned this way, often served as a sauce or dip for seafood.