Definition

1. Noun:
   • The watery liquid that separates from the curds during the coagulation of milk, especially in cheese-making: "Whey" is the thin, watery, and often greenish or yellowish liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained.
   • The serum or watery component of milk: It is the part of milk that does not coagulate when milk sours or when rennet is added.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • After making cheese, the leftover whey can be used in baking.
  • The recipe calls for ricotta, which is made by reheating whey.
  • Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.

Advanced Usage

• "Sweet whey": Whey produced from the manufacture of rennet-coagulated cheeses like cheddar or Swiss. It is milder in flavor.
  • Sweet whey is often dried into a protein powder for supplements.
• "Acid whey": Whey produced from the manufacture of acid-coagulated cheeses like cottage cheese or ricotta. It is more tart.
  • Acid whey is a byproduct of Greek yogurt production and poses a disposal challenge.

Variants and Related Words

• Wheyey or Wheyish (adj): Resembling or containing whey.
  • The soup had a slightly wheyey consistency.
• Whey-faced (adj, idiomatic): Pale-faced, as from fear or illness. (This is a compound adjective using "whey" as a component).
  • He emerged from the haunted house, whey-faced and trembling.

Synonyms

• Milk serum: A more technical term for the liquid component of milk.
• Lactoserum: Another technical term, especially in scientific contexts.

Related Phrases

• "To separate the curds from the whey": To divide the solid and liquid parts of coagulated milk; often used metaphorically to mean to separate valuable parts from worthless ones.
  • The investigation aimed to separate the curds from the whey of the evidence.

Related Idioms

• "Curds and whey": A traditional, simple food of coagulated milk, famously referenced in nursery rhymes. It symbolizes plain or basic sustenance.
  • In the old tale, the simple meal was just bread and curds and whey.

Noun

1. watery part of milk produced when raw milk sours and coagulates
   • Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet eating some curds and whey
2. the serum or watery part of milk that is separated from the curd in making cheese