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: the watery part of milk that is separated from the coagulable part or curd especially in the process of making cheese and that is rich in lactose, minerals, and vitamins and contains lactalbumin and traces of fat
Examples of whey in a Sentence
The curd has separated from the whey.
Recent Examples on the Web
The search for environmentally friendlier methods that skip those additional steps has led materials scientists down some unusual alleyways: For instance, an aerogel made from whey protein—a cheese by-product—can capture gold ions from computer motherboards bathed in acid.
—Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Milk, and in particular whey protein from milk, happen to be particularly high in leucine and other essential amino acids.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 15 Oct. 2024
Tyrosine Tyrosine is one of various amino acids found in whey protein.
—Trang Tran, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 18 Oct. 2024
This starting material means that ricotta contains a little casein but mostly consists of whey proteins that build a very different type of structure—one that is characterized particularly by permanent bonds between sulfur molecules, Sharma says.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English hwæg; akin to Middle Dutch wey whey
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of whey was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing whey
Dictionary Entries Near whey
Cite this Entry
“Whey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whey. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
whey
noun
ˈhwā
ˈwā
: the watery part of milk that separates after the milk has soured and thickened especially in the process of making cheese compare curd sense 1
More from Merriam-Webster on whey
Nglish: Translation of whey for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of whey for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about whey
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