Whey Meaning
/hweɪ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained in the process of making cheese.
intjA shout for attention
Sentence Examples
It's neither milk nor whey.
The whey is in the fridge.
Did you keep the whey after you strained the yogurt?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The clear liquid that separates from milk during cheese making is called ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ is a liquid that is left over after milk has been curdled and several strained to make common fresh cheese today.
Word Origin & History
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”)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Little Miss Muffet, She sat on a tuffet, Eating of curds and whey; There came a little spider, Who sat down beside her, And frighted Miss Muffet away."
— 1805, Songs for the Nursery, page 23:
"{...} if I wished any blessing in the world, it was to find him a worthy object of pride; and I’m bitterly disappointed with the whey-faced, whining wretch!"
— 1847, Emily Brontë, chapter XX, in Wuthering Heights:
"He swayed over to the door, peered out, shouted "whey!" and came back, looking severe."
— 1928, Ruth Manning-Sanders, Waste Corner:
"somebody who was more or less to their senses, shouted... ' Whey! ... Had on lads!' and everybody was trying to get wocken up and sorted out."
— 1982, Frank Entwisle, Abroad in England:
"... apart from Max, who rode his pallet like a surfboard with a huge grin plastered across his face. “Wheyyyyyyy!” Max yelled with delight."
— 2011 September 1, Case File 12: The Case of the Messy Mucked Up Masterpiece, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The clear liquid that separates from milk during cheese making is called ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ is a liquid that is left over after milk has been curdled and several strained to make common fresh cheese today.