burro

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butter, butter, butter-like fat, soft as butter, softie
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/ˈbur.ro/
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The familiar name for dairy butter, extended to similar fats and used figuratively for striking softness, tenderness, or mildness.

Examples

  • Per il dolce serve burro di cacao alimentare.
    The dessert needs food-grade cocoa butter.
  • Conservo il burro in frigorifero.
    I keep the butter in the refrigerator.
  • Ha le mani di burro e lascia cadere tutto.
    He has butter fingers and drops everything.
  • Dopo la cottura lenta, il pesce diventa un burro.
    After slow cooking, the fish becomes tender as butter.
  • Il balsamo contiene burro di karité.
    The balm contains shea butter.

Similar words

mitezza
sostanza burrosa
butirro
tenerezza
materia grassa
morbidezza
grasso vegetale

Meanings

Dairy butter

noun
food
neutral
The fatty food made by churning cream, spread on bread and used to enrich cooking and baking.

Examples

  • Spalma il burro sul pane caldo.
    Spread butter on the warm bread.
  • Fai sciogliere il burro nella padella.
    Melt the butter in the pan.
  • La ricetta richiede cento grammi di burro.
    The recipe calls for one hundred grams of butter.
  • Monta il burro con lo zucchero fino a ottenere una crema.
    Beat the butter with the sugar until it becomes creamy.
  • Per il risotto, aggiungi una noce di burro alla fine.
    For risotto, add a knob of butter at the end.
  • Conservo il burro in frigorifero.
    I keep the butter in the refrigerator.

Similar words

Butter-like fat or substance

noun
materials
neutral
A soft fat or material compared with butter, especially in names such as cocoa butter, shea butter, and older technical labels for buttery substances.

Examples

  • Il burro di cacao profuma la crema.
    Cocoa butter scents the cream.
  • Il balsamo contiene burro di karité.
    The balm contains shea butter.
  • Per il dolce serve burro di cacao alimentare.
    The dessert needs food-grade cocoa butter.
  • Alcune creme usano burro vegetale al posto dei grassi animali.
    Some creams use vegetable butter instead of animal fats.
  • Un vecchio manuale chiamava burro certe sostanze molli.
    An old manual called certain soft substances butter.
  • Il burro chiarificato resiste meglio al calore.
    Clarified butter tolerates heat better.

Similar words

Tender softness

noun
figurative
informal
A person, food, or object felt to be very soft, tender, mild, or unable to hold things firmly.

Examples

  • Questa carne è un burro.
    This meat is as soft as butter.
  • Con i nipoti è un burro.
    With the grandchildren he is a real softie.
  • Ha le mani di burro e lascia cadere tutto.
    He has butter fingers and drops everything.
  • La pera matura era un burro.
    The ripe pear was soft as butter.
  • Dopo la cottura lenta, il pesce diventa un burro.
    After slow cooking, the fish becomes tender as butter.
  • Sotto quell'aria severa, Marco è un burro.
    Under that stern look, Marco is a softie.

Similar words

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French burre, from Latin butyrum and Greek βούτυρον, probably built on words for cow and cheese, though that Greek analysis may be folk etymology.

FAQ

What does burro mean in Italian?

Burro usually means butter, the dairy fat used on bread and in cooking.

How is burro pronounced?

Burro is pronounced /ˈbur.ro/, with a rolled double r.

Is burro masculine or feminine?

Burro is masculine, so the usual singular form is il burro.

What is the plural of burro?

The plural is burri, though the word is often used as a mass noun.

Does Italian burro mean donkey?

No. In Italian it means butter. The donkey meaning belongs to Spanish and Portuguese burro.

What does burro di cacao mean?

Burro di cacao means cocoa butter, a butter-like fat from cacao beans.

Can burro be figurative?

Yes. È un burro can describe something very soft or a person who is mild and tender.

Where does burro come from?

It comes through Old French burre from Latin butyrum and Greek βούτυρον.

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