Butt (unit)

Unit of liquid volume From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The butt is an obsolete English measure of liquid volume equalling two hogsheads, being between 450 and 1,060 litres (99 and 233 imp gal; 120 and 280 US gal) by various definitions.[1]

Names and contents of beer and ale vessels in James Lightbody's Every Man His Own Gauger, 1695

Equivalents

A butt approximately equated to 108 imperial gallons (130 US gallons; 491 litres) for ale or 105 imperial gallons (126 US gallons; 477 litres) for wine (also known as a pipe), although the Oxford English Dictionary notes that "these standards were not always precisely adhered to".[1][2]

The word "buttload" originated from a load of liquid one butt in size, later becoming a more generic slang term meaning "a lot." [3]

The butt is one in a series of English wine cask units, being half of a tun.[citation needed]

See also

References

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