Butch

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /bʊt͡ʃ/

Definitions

1. A lesbian who adopts a masculine appearance and mannerisms ; a person showing a rough or strong masculine style or behavior
2. An individual, often a lesbian, displaying traditionally masculine traits and dress ; someone characterized by assertive, tough masculinity
3. Someone who expresses their gender through masculine presentation typical among lesbians ; a person with a forcefully manly or robust demeanor

Etymology: The adjective "butch" in the sense of "masculine in style" grew out of the noun "butcher," the tradesman who slaughters and cuts up meat. Its earliest form was probably a shortened version of that trade name, so that a "butch" was simply a butcher. The reverse path is also recorded: "butch" was later treated as a back-formation from "butcher," meaning a shorter form was created from the longer word rather than the other way round. The sense that matters here developed later. In the 1940s, "butch" came to describe a masculine lesbian, and the adjective's meaning of "masculine in style" grew from that usage. Its connection to the slaughterhouse is thus a matter of origin rather than of current meaning, and a word that began as a plain name for a trade ended up describing a style of dress and presentation.

Synonyms: masculine, manly

Antonyms: feminine, soft