Word
whey
US/ˈhweɪ/
UK/wˈeɪ/
Definition
n. the watery part of milk that stays behind after the solid parts turn into cheese. It is often used in protein powders for athletes.
n. the watery liquid that remains after milk has been curdled and strained during the cheesemaking process. Often processed into powder for use as a dietary supplement.
Examples
“The cheesemaker separated the solid curds from the liquid whey.”
“Many athletes consume whey protein shakes after a workout to help their muscles recover more quickly.”
“In traditional dairy production, whey was often treated as a waste product, but modern industrial techniques now extract its valuable proteins for use in a wide range of processed foods.”
Examples
simple
“The cheesemaker separated the solid curds from the liquid whey.”
contextual
“Many athletes consume whey protein shakes after a workout to help their muscles recover more quickly.”
complex
“In traditional dairy production, whey was often treated as a waste product, but modern industrial techniques now extract its valuable proteins for use in a wide range of processed foods.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the substance; can be countable when referring to specific types or varieties of the protein.
Real-World Examples
“The list includes a 50 percent tariff on milk, cream and whey products and a 25 percent tariff on many cheeses imported from the US.” “Milk powders, concentrated milk, whey, casein and other milk proteins will face tariffs of 50%.” Etymology
From Middle English whey, wheye, whei, from Old English hwǣġ, hwæiġ, hwæġ, hweġ (“whey”), from Proto-West Germanic hwaij (“whey”) (cognate with Saterland Frisian Waai, Woaie, West Frisian waai, Dutch wei, Low German Wei, German Low German Wei), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European kʷey- (“to pile up, build”) (compare Old Church Slavonic чинъ (činŭ, “order”), Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō, “to pile up, make”), Sanskrit कय (káya, “every one”)).
Onomatopoeic, variation on wahey.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/whey