'Scuttle butt' definitions:

Definition of 'Scuttle butt'

From: GCIDE
  • Scuttle \Scut"tle\ (sk[u^]t"t'l), n. [OF. escoutille, F. ['e]scoutille, cf. Sp. escotilla; probably akin to Sp. escotar to cut a thing so as to make it fit, to hollow a garment about the neck, perhaps originally, to cut a bosom-shaped piece out, and of Teutonic origin; cf. D. schoot lap, bosom, G. schoss, Goth. skauts the hem of a garnment. Cf. Sheet an expanse.]
  • 1. A small opening in an outside wall or covering, furnished with a lid. Specifically: (a) (Naut.) A small opening or hatchway in the deck of a ship, large enough to admit a man, and with a lid for covering it, also, a like hole in the side or bottom of a ship. (b) An opening in the roof of a house, with a lid. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. The lid or door which covers or closes an opening in a roof, wall, or the like. [1913 Webster]
  • Scuttle butt, or Scuttle cask (Naut.), a butt or cask with a large hole in it, used to contain the fresh water for daily use in a ship. --Totten. [1913 Webster]