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butt

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An English unit of liquid capacity equal to approximately 126 gallons for wine or 108 gallons for ale; a large cask for bulk storage.

Detailed Definition
The butt, large cask measuring two hogsheads, typically held 126 wine gallons (about 477 liters) or 108 ale gallons. Shakespeare's Clarence drowns in a "butt of malmsey" wine. This substantial barrel served for bulk storage and commercial transport of wine, beer, and other liquids. In poetry concerning wine trade, maritime commerce, or storage, butt provides authentic measurement and evocative imagery. The term appears in literary contexts from Shakespeare onward, carrying associations with abundance, excess, or occasionally death. Poets employed butts when treating commercial scale, wine culture, or maritime trade, evoking both practical commerce and literary tradition.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare's Richard III references Clarence drowning "in a butt of malmsey wine," making the term famous in dramatic literature; Maritime poetry often describes ship cargoes: "fifty butts of Spanish wine in the hold, bound for English ports"; In poetry about abundance or excess, "butts of ale for the wedding feast" conveys generous hospitality through specific measurement; Historical verse about wine trade might reference "the cooper sealing each butt with pitch" to provide authentic craft detail; Poetry exploring mortality could invoke the Clarence drowning: "sweet death in wine, a butt of malmsey dreams"; Modern poets writing about wine culture might contrast "plastic bottles replace the wooden butts—progress measured in lost tonnage and flavor."
Additional Notes
Shakespeare's use of "butt of malmsey" (Richard III, Act I, Scene 4, where Clarence drowns in wine) makes this the most famous literary reference to any cask size measurement. Students should recognize that the butt represents substantial quantity—126 wine gallons or about 477 liters. Understanding cask size hierarchy (rundlet < barrel < hogshead < puncheon < pipe < tun, with butt = 2 hogsheads) helps students grasp commercial scale in maritime and wine trade contexts. The butt's association with Clarence's death makes it symbolically rich for poetry exploring excess, drowning, intoxication, or mortality. In maritime poetry, butts appear in cargo manifests and ship provisioning. Wine trade poetry necessarily references butts as standard commercial unit. Students should note the butt's continued use in sherry and port trade (sherry butts age whiskey). The term evokes abundance, maritime commerce, and literary tradition simultaneously. Related terms include hogshead, pipe, tun, and puncheon, all cask sizes with specific capacities. For students writing about wine culture or maritime trade, understanding cask terminology adds authentic commercial detail.
Other Meanings of “butt”
Also Known As
butt cask pipe archery butt
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