butterscotch

English

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butterscotch

/ˈbʌtɚˌskɑt͡ʃ/ US
/ˈbʌtəˌskɒtʃ/ UK

Where it comes from

From butter + scotch, with the second element deriving (not from scotch whiskey or Scotland, but) from Middle English scocchen (“to score, nick, cut”), in reference to how the candy is boiled and hardened and then usually scored to make breaking it apart easier. The word is usually said to have originally been a trademark of Parkinson's, who is claimed to have invented it.

noun butterscotches

uncountable, usually A hard candy made from butter, brown sugar, syrup and vanilla.
uncountable, usually A sauce or syrup made of similar ingredients.
uncountable, usually A light brown colour, like that of butterscotch candy.

adjective

not comparable Of a light brown colour, like that of butterscotch candy.
not comparable Having the flavour of butterscotch.

Translations

Every language

noun hard candy

中文	奶油糖果 nǎiyóu tángguǒ
Português	caramelo
Français	caramel au beurre
Deutsch	Buttertoffee
Русский	ири́с irís, ири́ска iríska

noun sauce or syrup made of similar ingredients

中文	奶油糖漿 /奶油糖浆 nǎiyóu tángjiāng
Français	caramel

adj of a light brown colour

中文	奶油糖色的 nǎiyóutángsè de

adj having the flavour of butterscotch

中文	奶油糖味的 nǎiyóutángwèi de

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Cite this

MLA

"butterscotch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/butterscotch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

butterscotch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/butterscotch

Chicago

"butterscotch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/butterscotch.

BibTeX

@misc{butterscotch_2026,
  title = {butterscotch},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/butterscotch},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}