Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BUT'TON, n. [but'n; Fr. bouton, a button, a bud; W. buttun, or botwm; Corn. bottum; It. bottone; Sp. boton, a button or bud; from the root of bud, that is, a push or protuberance. See Butt.]

1. A knob; a small ball; a catch, used to fasten together the different parts of dress, made of metal, silk, mohair, wood, &c.
2. Any knob or ball fastened to another body; a small protuberant body. – Boyle. Pope.
3. A bud; a gem of a plant. – Shak.
4. The button of the reins of a bridle, is a ring of leather, with the reins passed through, which runs along the length of the reins. – Encyc.
5. A flat piece of wood, turning on a nail or screw, to fasten doors.
6. A small round mass of metal, found at the bottom of a crucible in chimical experiments. – Nicholson.
7. The sea-urchin, an animal which has prickles instead of feet. – Ainsworth.