putty

Borrowed from French potée (“polishing powder", originally "the contents of a pot, potful”), from French pot (“pot”). More at English pot.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʌti/

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• Rhymes: -ʌti

putty (countable and uncountable, plural putties)

1. A form of cement, made from linseed oil and whiting, used to fix panes of glass.
2. Any of a range of similar substances.
   1. An oxide of tin, or of lead and tin, used in polishing glass, etc.
   2. A fine cement of lime only, used by plasterers.
3. (golf, colloquial) A golf ball made of composition and not gutta-percha.

putty (not comparable)

1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling putty.

putty (third-person singular simple present putties, present participle puttying, simple past and past participle puttied)

1. (transitive) To fix or fill using putty.

putty (comparative puttier, superlative puttiest)

1. (pronunciation spelling) pretty; purdy

putty (plural putties)

1. Alternative form of puttee (“strip of cloth wound round the leg”).
   • 1964 [1929], William Faulkner, Sartoris (The Collected Works of William Faulkner), London: Chatto & Windus, page 22:

     “He went to’ds de back, ma’am.” The negro opened the door and slid his legs, clad in army O.D. and a pair of linoleum putties, to the ground. “‘I’ll go git ’im.”’