What is milk? How to use in English

Definition & pronunciation of milk

milknoun

sữa

/mɪlk/

Definition & pronunciation of <b>milk</b>

Where does the word milk come from?

The word "milk" has a rich history that dates back thousands of years. The modern English word "milk" comes from the Old English word "mlíc", which was derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*milik-". This Proto-Germanic word is thought to have been imitative of the sound of a suckling child at its mother's breast. The Proto-Germanic word is also related to the Latin word "melic", which means "honeyed" or "sweet", likely due to the sweetness of milk. This Latin word is also the source of the word "mellifluous", meaning "honey-sweet". The word "milk" has been in use in English since the 9th century, and has retained its original meaning of the nutrient-rich fluid produced by female mammals, primarily cattle, goats, and sheep. Over time, the word has also taken on related meanings, such as the act of extracting milk from these animals, and the various products and byproducts derived from milk.

Vocabulary summary milk

typenoun

meaningmilk

examplethe cows are milking well this season

examplemilk of almonds

meaninglatex (tree), water (coconut...)

meaning(figurative) simple literature, simple doctrine

typetransitive verb

meaningmilk

examplethe cows are milking well this season

examplemilk of almonds

meaningexploit

meaningsqueeze (snake venom...)

Example of vocabulary milknamespace

meaning

the white liquid produced by cows, goats and some other animals as food for their young and used as a drink by humans

  • a pint/litre of milk
  • a bottle/carton of milk
  • She drank a glass of cool frothy milk.
  • fresh/dried/powdered milk
  • Do you take milk in your tea?
meaning

the white liquid that is produced by women and female mammals for feeding their babies

  • breast milk
  • Mammals rely on mother's milk for nutrition and immune protection.
  • She expressed some milk so her husband could do the night feeding.
meaning

a white liquid produced by or made from plants

Synonyms and related words for milk

Idioms of vocabulary milk

cry over spilt milk
to waste time worrying about something that has happened that you cannot do anything about
  • As the saying goes—it's no use crying over spilt milk.
the land of milk and honey
a place where life is pleasant and easy and people are very happy
  • He dreamed of emigrating to Canada—the land of milk and honey.
the milk of human kindness
(literary)kind behaviour, considered to be natural to humans

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