"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."

Friday 30 January 2009

Buttery

One might imagine that in days gone by a buttery was a place where butter was churned – a dairy. But it was not. It was a pantry, next to the kitchen, a storeroom for liquor from which wine was dispensed.

The name derived from the Latin and French words for bottle or, to put the word into its simpler form a butt, that is, a cask.

“The Buttery” is also found as a shop name deriving from the term for a teashop where students in British universities could purchase light meals.

1 comment:

  1. Who knew? I have a pantr...I mean a buttery, in my kitchen. Not too much in the way of liquor in there though.
    A buttery it will be from this day forward.

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