Etymology

but-

Today it means: Denotes the presence of four carbon atoms in the parent chain when forming names of organic compounds. Full definition →

Ancient Greek βούτῡρος (boútūros) ← Proto-Hellenic *tūrós ← Proto-Indo-European *tuh₂rós
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷṓws
  2. Proto-Hellenic*gʷous
  3. Ancient Greekβοῦς (boûs)
  4. Proto-Indo-European*tewh₂-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*tuh₂rós
  6. Proto-Hellenic*tūrós
  7. Ancient Greekτῡρός (tūrós)
  8. Ancient Greekβούτῡρος (boútūros)
  9. English todaybut-

From butyl. Ultimately from Ancient Greek βούτυρος (boúturos, “butter”).

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekβούτυρος all →

butyric acid

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.