GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Found 2 definitions 

  1.       

    Ass , n. [OE. asse, AS. assa; akin to Icel. asni, W. asen, asyn, L. asinus, dim. aselus, Gr. ; also to AS. esol, OHG. esil, G. esel, Goth. asilus, Dan. æsel, Lith. asilas, Bohem. osel, Pol. osiel. The word is prob. of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. athn she ass. Cf. Ease.]
    1. (Zool.) A quadruped of the genus Equus (Equus asinus), smaller than the horse, and having a peculiarly harsh bray and long ears. The tame or domestic ass is patient, slow, and sure-footed, and has become the type of obstinacy and stupidity. There are several species of wild asses which are swift-footed.
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    2. A dull, heavy, stupid fellow; a dolt.
      Shak.

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      Asses' Bridge. [L. pons asinorum.] The fifth proposition of the first book of Euclid, “The angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are equal to one another.” [Sportive] “A schoolboy, stammering out his Asses' Bridge.” F. Harrison. -- To make an ass of one's self, to do or say something very foolish or absurd.
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  2.       

    { Butt, But } , n. [F. but butt, aim (cf. butte knoll), or bout, OF. bot, end, extremity, fr. boter, buter, to push, butt, strike, F. bouter; of German origin; cf. OHG. bōzan, akin to E. beat. See Beat, v. t.]
    1. A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end.
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      Here is my journey's end, here my butt
      And very sea mark of my utmost sail.
      Shak.

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      ☞ As applied to land, the word is nearly synonymous with mete, and signifies properly the end line or boundary; the abuttal.
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    2. The larger or thicker end of anything; the blunt end, in distinction from the sharp end; as, the butt of a rifle. Formerly also spelled but. See 2nd but, n. sense 2.
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      +PJC
    3. A mark to be shot at; a target.
      Sir W. Scott.

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      The groom his fellow groom at butts defies,
      And bends his bow, and levels with his eyes.
      Dryden.

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    4. A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed; as, the butt of the company.
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      I played a sentence or two at my butt, which I thought very smart.
      Addison.

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    5. A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head of an animal; as, the butt of a ram.
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    6. A thrust in fencing.
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      To prove who gave the fairer butt,
      John shows the chalk on Robert's coat.
      Prior.

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    7. A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field.
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      The hay was growing upon headlands and butts in cornfields.
      Burrill.

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    8. (Mech.) (a) A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely together without scarfing or chamfering; -- also called butt joint. (b) The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to which the boxing is attached by the strap, cotter, and gib. (c) The portion of a half-coupling fastened to the end of a hose.
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    9. (Shipbuilding) The joint where two planks in a strake meet.
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    10. (Carp.) A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc.; -- so named because fastened on the edge of the door, which butts against the casing, instead of on its face, like the strap hinge; also called butt hinge.
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    11. (Leather Trade) The thickest and stoutest part of tanned oxhides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks.
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    12. The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the targets in rifle practice.
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    13. The buttocks; as, get up off your butt and get to work; -- used as a euphemism, less objectionable than ass. [slang]
      Syn. -- ass, rear end, derriere, behind, rump, heinie.
      PJC
      Butt chain (Saddlery), a short chain attached to the end of a tug. -- Butt end. The thicker end of anything. See But end, under 2d But.
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      Amen; and make me die a good old man!
      That's the butt end of a mother's blessing.
      Shak.

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      A butt's length, the ordinary distance from the place of shooting to the butt, or mark. -- Butts and bounds (Conveyancing), abuttals and boundaries. In lands of the ordinary rectangular shape, butts are the lines at the ends (F. bouts), and bounds are those on the sides, or sidings, as they were formerly termed. Burrill. -- Bead and butt. See under Bead. -- Butt and butt, joining end to end without overlapping, as planks. -- Butt weld (Mech.), a butt joint, made by welding together the flat ends, or edges, of a piece of iron or steel, or of separate pieces, without having them overlap. See Weld. -- Full butt, headfirst with full force. [Colloq.] “The corporal . . . ran full butt at the lieutenant.” Marryat.
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