# milk

Pronunciation: say "MILK" /mɪlk/

## Noun

1. A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals to nourish their young; from cows especially, it is a common human food and drink and the base for butter, cheese, and yogurt.
   - Simple: A white drink that comes from cows and other animals to feed their babies.
   - _She buys whole milk because she prefers its richer taste._
   - _The dairy turns most of its milk into cheese and butter._
2. A white or off-white liquid made from soybeans, oats, rice, almonds, coconuts, or another plant source.
   - Simple: A white liquid made from plants such as almonds, oats, rice, or soybeans.
   - _He pours soy milk over his cereal because dairy upsets his stomach._
   - _Pressed from grated coconut flesh, this milk thickens many curries._
4. A single serving or small portion of milk, such as a glass ordered or a creamer for coffee or tea. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A glass, carton, or small cup of milk, for drinking or for putting in tea or coffee.
   - _Each kid grabbed one of the little milks from the cooler beside the sandwiches._
   - _Grab a milk from the cooler before you sit down._
7. A coarse slang term for semen. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude slang word for semen.
   - _When he finally came, his milk spilled over her fingers, and she laughed and reached for a tissue._
   - _He pulled out just in time, and his milk spilled across her stomach._

## Verb

3. To draw milk from a cow or other mammal, by hand or machine; also, to draw another liquid such as venom from an animal.
   - Simple: To get milk from a cow or other animal, or to take another liquid such as venom from an animal.
   - _The herder milks each ewe by hand in the mountain pasture._
   - _Volunteers learned to milk the dairy cows during their farm stay._
5. To make excessive use of something (a point, a source of money, or an advantage) in order to get the most out of it.
   - Simple: To get as much as possible out of something, often unfairly.
   - _The studio milked the franchise with sequel after sequel._
   - _Consultants know how to milk a vague contract for extra fees._

## Verb

6. To give or yield milk from the udder or breasts. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To make and let out milk from a breast or udder.
   - _On fresh spring grass, the whole herd milks better than at any other time of year._
   - _Heifers that milk well are kept back for breeding._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To masturbate a male to ejaculation, especially for the satisfaction or amusement of the person doing it rather than the man himself.
- (noun) The mature spat of an oyster before it has been released.
- (verb) To give off small gas bubbles during the final part of a battery's charging.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4, 7** — This noun comes from Middle English 'milk', from Old English 'meolc', from Proto-West Germanic '*meluk' and Proto-Germanic '*meluks', ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂melǵ-'. It is cognate with Dutch 'melk', German 'Milch', Swedish 'mjölk' and Greek 'amélgo' ('to milk').
**Meanings 3, 5–6** — The verb comes from Middle English milken, from Old English melcan and meolcian (the second formed from the noun), from the same Proto-Indo-European root *h₂melǵ- as the noun; compare German melken and Latin mulgeō, 'I milk'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/milk (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).