Meanings
plural clarified butters
- uncountableusuallyA cooking fat made by gently heating butter and separating the solids from the butterfat.
[…]when they are cold, put them into potting-pots and pour over them clarified butter, and keep them in a dry place.
1795, Elizabeth Raffald, The Experienced Housekeeper, page 1462 more examples
The means whereby the sailors do this, is, first to dress the meat, then cut it into slices; and laying them regularly one upon another in a close cask, they pour clarified butter thereon to fill up all the interstices
1725, Robert Boyle, The Philosophical Works of the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq, page 52This recipe calls for clarified butter which is easily made and reduces the chances of burning the butter during the sautéing process.
1992, Grace Howaniec, Encore Wisconsin: Chef's Recipes Designed to Bring You Ovations, page 112
Synonyms & antonyms
nounbutter made clear by heating and removing the sediment of milk solids
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishclarifien
- Englishclarified butter
From clarified + butter, from Middle English clarifien and buter. Earliest attestation of clarified in this sense from the 14th century.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سمن
- سمن (samn)cooking fat made from butter
Chinese Mandarin 液體黃油 /液体黄油
- 液體黃油 /液体黄油 (yètǐ huángyóu)cooking fat made from butter
Esperanto buterograso
- buterograsocooking fat made from butter
Finnish kirkastettu voi
- kirkastettu voicooking fat made from butter
French beurre clarifié
- beurre clarifiécooking fat made from butter
German Butterschmalz
- Butterschmalzcooking fat made from butter
Hindi घी
- घी (ghī)cooking fat made from butter
Icelandic skírt smjör
- skírt smjörcooking fat made from butter
Italian burro chiarificato
- burro chiarificatocooking fat made from butter
Japanese 澄ましバター
- 澄ましバター (sumashi-batā)cooking fat made from butter
Persian روغن گاو, گاوروغن
- روغن گاو (roġan-e gâv)cooking fat made from butter
- گاوروغن (gâvroġan)cooking fat made from butter
- روغن حیوانی (roġan-e heyvâni)cooking fat made from butter
Polish masło klarowane
- masło klarowanecooking fat made from butter
Portuguese manteiga clarificada
- manteiga clarificadacooking fat made from butter
Romanian unt clarificat
- unt clarificatcooking fat made from butter
Russian топлёное ма́сло
- топлёное ма́сло (topljónoje máslo)cooking fat made from butter
Thai เนยใส
- เนยใส (nəəi-sǎi)cooking fat made from butter
Urdu گھی
- گھی (ghī)cooking fat made from butter
Welsh menyn gloyw, menyn clir
- menyn gloywcooking fat made from butter
- menyn clircooking fat made from butter
Cite this entry
clarified butter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clarified%20butter
“clarified butter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clarified%20butter. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clarified butter,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clarified%20butter.
Source: clarified butter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.