Butte vs. Plateau

(US) An isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top.

A detached low mountain, or high rising abruptly from the general level of the surrounding plain; - applied to peculiar elevations in the Rocky Mountain region.

Example: ‘The creek . . . passes by two remarkable buttes of red conglomerate.’;

a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding region; has a flat top and sloping sides

a town in southwestern Montana; center for mining copper

an isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top (similar to but narrower than a mesa).

In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word butte comes from a French word meaning knoll (but of any size); its use is prevalent in the Western United States, including the southwest where mesa (Spanish for ) is used for the larger landform.

Example: ‘table’;

A largely level expanse of land at a high elevation; tableland.

A comparatively stable level in something that varies.

(dated) An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.

A notable level of attainment or achievement.

(intransitive) To reach a stable level; to level off.

A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land.

An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.

a relatively flat highland

an area of fairly level high ground.

denoting a group of North American peoples of the high plains of western Canada and the US, including the Nez Percé.

a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress

Example: ‘the peace process had reached a plateau’;

reach a state of little or no change after a period of activity or progress

Example: ‘the industry's problems have plateaued out’;

In geology and physical geography, a plateau ( , , or ; French: [pla.to]; plural plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain, that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides have deep hills.