Middle English word butten comes from Proto-Indo-European *bhau-, Proto-Indo-European *bū-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰÀu-, Proto-Indo-European *bʰawd-, Frankish *buttan, and later Proto-Germanic *bautaną (To beat, push.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *bhau- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bū- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰÀu- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *bʰawd- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *buttan | Frankish (frk) | |
| *bautaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To beat, push. |
| *bōtan | Frankish (frk) | To beat. |
| *bautan | Frankish (frk) | |
| bouter | Old French (fro) | (reflexive, se bouter) to enter (into). To place; to put. To strike; to hit. |
| butten | Middle English (enm) |