From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Ass \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. [ae]sel, Lith. asilas,
Bohem. osel, Pol. osiel. The word is prob. of Semitic origin;
cf. Heb. ath?n 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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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Butt \Butt\, But \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. b[=o]zan,
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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Note: 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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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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