whey

noun

ˈ(h)wā 

: 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

ˈ(h)wā-ˌlīk 

adjective

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

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

Phrases Containing whey

• whey-face

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

Medical Definition

whey

noun

ˈhwā  ˈwā 

: 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