milk

[milk]

noun

1. an opaque white or bluish-white liquid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals, serving for the nourishment of their young.

2. this liquid as secreted by cows, goats, or certain other animals and used by humans for food or as a source of butter, cheeses, yogurt, etc.

3. a glass, carton, etc., of cow's milk.

   We ordered two milks for the children.

4. any liquid resembling the milk of animals, as the liquid within a coconut, the juice or sap of certain plants, or various pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations: a gentle cleansing milk for your skin.

   the milk of the rubber tree;

   a gentle cleansing milk for your skin.

5. a whitish, potable liquid made of ground nuts, legumes, seeds, or grain blended with water and often a sweetener, used especially as a substitute for dairy milk, its main ingredient as specified: almond milk; rice milk.

   nut milks;

   almond milk;

   oat milk;

   rice milk.

verb (used with object)

1. to press or draw milk from the udder or breast of.

2. to get something from, especially in a way that exploits or defrauds.

   The swindler milked her of all her savings.

3. to elicit or draw out a response from someone: The interview was an attempt to milk some sympathy out of what should have been a private tragedy.

   He knows how to milk an audience for laughs.

   The interview was an attempt to milk some sympathy out of what should have been a private tragedy.

4. to extract with effort as if by milking; squeeze.

   He always has to milk the last bit of toothpaste from the tube.

   She tried to milk a few more billable hours out of the contract.

verb (used without object)

1. to yield milk, as a cow.

   We called the vet when two of our Holsteins suddenly stopped milking.

2. to milk a cow or other mammal.

milk

/ mɪlk /

noun

1. 1. a whitish nutritious fluid produced and secreted by the mammary glands of mature female mammals and used for feeding their young until weaned

   2. the milk of cows, goats, or other animals used by man as a food or in the production of butter, cheese, etc

2. any similar fluid in plants, such as the juice of a coconut

3. any of various milklike pharmaceutical preparations, such as milk of magnesia

4. to lament something that cannot be altered

verb

1. to draw milk from the udder of (a cow, goat, or other animal)

2. (intr) (of cows, goats, or other animals) to yield milk

3. (tr) to draw off or tap in small quantities

   to milk the petty cash

4. (tr) to extract as much money, help, etc, as possible from

   to milk a situation of its news value

5. (tr) to extract venom, sap, etc, from

milk

1. A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals for feeding their young beginning immediately after birth. Milk is an emulsion of proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and sugars, especially lactose, in water. The proteins in milk contain all the essential amino acids.

Other Word Forms

• milkless adjective
• overmilk verb
• unmilked adjective
• well-milked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of milk¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English meol(o)ic, (Anglian) milc; cognate with German Milch, Old Norse mjōlk, Gothic miluks; akin to Latin mulgēre, Greek amélgein “to milk”

Word History and Origins

Origin of milk¹

Old English milc; compare Old Saxon miluk, Old High German miluh, Old Norse mjolk

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cry over spilled / spilt milk, to lament what cannot be changed or corrected; express sorrow for past actions or events.

   Crying over spilled milk will do you no good now.

More idioms and phrases containing milk

• cry over spilt milk

Example Sentences

Set out a few small luxuries—cream or oat milk, maple syrup, cinnamon—and let people build their perfect cup.A simple, old-fashioned coffee-and-dessert bar feels charming, cozy and complete.

Read more on Salon

However, there will also be a "lactose allowance" to account for the naturally occurring sugars in milk.

Read more on BBC

It has joined a wholesale network that Savi says allows it to buy more groceries in bulk than small grocers typically can, so it can offer lower prices on staples like milk and eggs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The government has consulted on introducing a 'lactose allowance' to account for the natural sugars in the milk content of these drinks.

Read more on BBC

During the first six months of life, infants ingest significantly more aluminum from breast milk or formula than they get from vaccines.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bleed 
• drain 
• evoke 
• extort 
• extract 
• suck 
• wring