Milk
/mɪlk/
nounverbA1
Definition
Milk is the white liquid that animals like cows, goats, and humans produce to feed their young babies. People also drink milk and use it to make foods like cheese and butter. When used as a verb, milk means to take this liquid from an animal by hand or machine.
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See It in Action
The liquid food produced by mammals
- •I drink milk every morning with my cereal.
- •Babies drink their mother's milk to grow healthy.
- •Milk is used to make cheese and yogurt.
To get milk from an animal (verb)
- •The farmer milks the cows every day at sunrise.
- •She learned how to milk a goat on the farm.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "milk" like "water," but it is white and comes from animals, not from a tap
- ✓Picture a cow standing calmly while a farmer gently squeezes its udder to get milk
- ✓It's the feeling of fresh, cool milk in a glass that you drink for breakfast
- ✓Sounds like "milk" → imagine a soft "m" sound like a mother saying "mmm" while feeding a baby
- ✓Remember cartoons where a farmer milks a cow early in the morning on a farm
- ✓NOT like "juice" (comes from fruit), milk comes from animals
- ✓NOT like "water" (clear, tasteless), milk is white and has a creamy taste
- ✓As a verb, NOT like "catch" or "grab"—milking is a slow, careful action to get milk
Try Other Words
- •Cream: thick part of milk (Use when talking about the fatty, rich part of milk)
- •Dairy: related to milk or milk products (Use when talking about milk products in general)
- •Extract: to take something out (Use when talking about taking liquid from something, but more general than milking)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: milk (single root word)
- •Etymology: from Old English "milc" or "meolc," meaning the liquid produced by female mammals
- •Historical development: Used since ancient times for the liquid feeding babies and humans; a basic food source
- •Modern usage: Commonly used for the white drink from cows, goats, and humans; also used as a verb for taking milk
Reflect & Connect
•How does milk help animals and humans in their early life?
•What are some different ways people use milk in food and drinks?
Fill in the blanks
1.Babies drink milk because it ___ their bodies and helps them grow.
2.Farmers milk cows ___ to get fresh milk every day.
3.Milk is different from juice because it comes from ___, not fruit.
4.When you milk a goat, you have to be ___ and gentle.
5.People often add ___ to tea or coffee to make it creamy.
6.Milk is white and ___, unlike clear water.
7.If someone says "milk it," it can mean to ___ a situation for all it is worth (idiomatic use).