: 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
wheylike adjective

Examples of whey in a Sentence

The curd has separated from the whey.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 See all Example Sentences for whey 

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

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 How to pronounce whey (audio)
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

Medical Definition

whey

noun
: the serum or 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

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