Buto Vbyu-to\ In ancient Egyptian religion, the cobra goddess who was tutelary goddess of Lower Egypt and, with the vulture-goddess Nekh- bet of Upper Egypt, protector of the king. She was nurse to the infant god Horus and helped his mother, Isis, protect him from his uncle Seth. She was later identified with Leto. She is depicted as a cobra twined around a papyrus stem.
Buton \'bu-,t6n\ or Butung \'bu-,tuq\ Island, east-central Indonesia. Lying off the southeast coast of Celebes (Sulawesi), it is about 100 mi (160 km) long and has an area of about 2,000 sq mi (5,200 sq km). Its chief town is Baubau, on the southwestern coast. The coastal people are chiefly trading sailors and fishermen.
butte \'byiit\ (French: “hillock” or “rising ground”) Flat-topped hill sur¬ rounded by a steep cliff, from the bottom of which a slope descends to the plain. The term is sometimes used for an elevation higher than a hill but not high enough to be a mountain. Buttes topped by horizontal plat¬ forms of hard rock are characteristic of the arid plateau region of the western U.S. A butte is similar to a mesa but generally smaller; both are created by erosional processes.
butter Solid emulsion of fat globules and water made by churning cream, used as a food. Presumably known since the advent of animal husbandry.
butter has long been used as a cooking fat and as a spread. It was tradi¬ tionally a farm product, but with the advent of the cream separator in the late 19th century it began to be mass-produced. It is a high-energy food, containing about 715 calories per 100 grams. It is high in butterfat (80- 85%) and low in protein. Colouring is sometimes added to enhance its natural yellow colour (from carotene), and salt is often added.
butter-and-eggs or toadflax Common perennial herbaceous plant (Linaria vulgaris ) of the snapdragon family, native to Eurasia and widely naturalized in North America. The plant bears flaxlike leaves and showy yellow and orange flowers that are two-lipped and spurred like snap¬ dragons.
buttercup Any of about 250 species of herbaceous flowering plants constituting the genus Ranunculus of the family Ranunculaceae. Butter¬ cups are especially common in the woods and fields of the northern tem¬ perate zone. The turban, or Persian buttercup ( R . asiaticus ), is the flo¬ rist’s ranunculus. Among the many wild species are the tall meadow but¬ tercup ( R . acris) and common water crowfoot (R. aquatilis). Other mem¬ bers of the family Ranunculaceae are widely distributed in all temperate and subtropical regions. In the trop¬ ics they occur mostly at high eleva¬ tions. Their leaves are usually alternate and stalkless and may be simple or much divided. The flowers may be radially symmetrical or irregular. The family includes such flowers as anemone, larkspur, marsh marigold, clematis, and hepatica (genus Hepatica).
butterfly Any of more than 17,000 lepidopteran species found world¬ wide. Unlike moths, butterflies are active during the day and are usually brightly coloured or strikingly patterned. Distinctive features are club- tipped antennae and a habit of holding the wings vertically over the back when at rest. With few exceptions the larvae and adults eat plants. But¬ terflies are classified into five or six families. The metalmarks of the fam¬ ily Lycaenidae are found chiefly in the New World tropics; some members of the family Nymphalidae are called snout butterflies. Other species (with their families) include the white and sulphur butterflies (Pieridae), the swal¬ lowtail butterfly (Papilionidae), the blue, copper, and hairstreak butterflies (Lycaenidae), and the admiral, monarch, and painted lady (Nymphalidae).
butterfly bush See buddleia butterfly effect See chaotic behavior
butterfly weed North American plant ( Asclepias tuberosa ) of the milk¬ weed family, a stout, rough-haired perennial with long horizontal roots. The leafy, erect, somewhat branching stem is about 1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m) tall. In midsummer it bears numerous clusters of bright orange flowers. Unlike most milkweeds, it has a scanty milky juice. It is native to dry fields and is often planted in wild gardens or grown as a border plant.
butternut Deciduous NUT-producing tree (JugIans cinerea ) of the wal¬ nut family, native to eastern North America. A mature tree has gray, deeply furrowed bark. Each leaf has 11-17 yellowish green leaflets that are hairy underneath. Chocolate-coloured partitions divide the pith of the twig into many chambers. The egg-shaped fruit has a sticky, greenish brown husk. The hard, woody nut bears many ridges and contains a sweet, oily seed. The tree is economically important for its edible nuts and for a yellow or orange dye obtained from the fruit husks. Some substances in the inner bark of the roots are used in medicines.
button Small disk or knob used as a fastener or ornament. It usually has holes or a shank through which it is sewn to one side of a garment. It is used to fasten or close the garment when it is passed through a loop or hole in the other side. The ancient Greeks fastened their tunics with but¬ tons and loops. In medieval Europe, garments were laced or fastened together with brooches or clasps until the buttonhole was reinvented in the 13th century. Throughout history, buttons have been made in a range of sizes and materials, some elaborated into miniature works of art.
Langar Rectory, Nottinghamshire,
Samuel Butler, detail of an oil painting by Charles Gogin, 1896; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
Aquatic buttercup (Ranunculus flabellaris).
FRANCES V. DAVIS
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
304 I buttress ► Byron
buttress Exterior support, usually of masonry, projecting from the face of a wall and serving to strengthen it or resist outward thrust from an arch or roof. Buttresses also have a decorative function. Though used since ancient times (Mesopotamian temples featured decorative buttresses, as did Roman and Byzantine structures), they are especially associated with Gothic architecture. See also flying buttress.
Butung See Buton
Buwayhid dynasty See Buyid dynasty
Buxtehude Vbuk-sto-'hu-doV, Dietrich (b. 1637, probably in Oldes- loe, Holstein—d. May 9, 1707, Ltibeck) Danish organist and composer. He held two organist positions before being appointed organist at the important Marienkirche in Liibeck (now in Germany), where he remained for almost 40 years. There he reinstated the tradition of the Abendmusik, an annual series of church concerts. His reputation was such that in 1705 Johann Sebastian Bach traveled 200 miles there to hear him play and ended up staying three months. Buxtehude’s approximately 130 surviving vocal works, usually called cantatas, can instead be classified as concertos, cho¬ rale settings, and arias. All are imbued with a devout simplicity that con¬ trasts strongly with the elaborations of their Bachian successors. He also composed almost 100 works for organ, some 20 keyboard suites, and more than 20 chamber sonatas.
Buyid \'bu-yid\ dynasty or Buwayhid \bii-'wl-hid\ dynasty (945-1055) Muslim ShTite dynasty founded by three sons of Buyeh, a Daylamite (north Persian) fisherman. They captured Baghdad in 945, and each brother took a portion of territory. After they died, one Buyid leader, c Adud al-Dawlah, consolidated control (977) and enlarged the Buyid domain. From 983 the territories were split among family members. The dynasty ended when the Turkic Seljuq dynasty took Baghdad in 1055. Buyid art maintained its influence throughout the Seljuq reign; Buyid sil- verwork is notable.
buzkashi Persian "goat dragging" An equestrian game in which riders compete to gain control of a goat or calf carcass that has been decapitated and dehoofed. Buzkashi likely originated as an entertaining variant of ordinary herding or raiding. It is popular predominantly among Turkic peoples in Afghanistan but can be found in the Muslim republics of Central Asia and in parts of northwestern China. Buzkashi has two main forms. The traditional version, tudabaray, has no formal teams and is not played within clearly defined boundaries. Games often involve hundreds of riders, and the objective is to gain sole possession of the carcass and ride it free and clear of all other riders. The modern government-sponsored qarajay style involves two teams of 10-12 riders that contend on a defined field with goals. Beginning in the early 1950s, the Kabul-based Afghan government hosted national tournaments.