milk: Meaning and Definition of

milk

Pronunciation: (milk), [key]
— n.
  1. an opaque white or bluish-white liquid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals, serving for the nourishment of their young.
  2. this liquid as secreted by cows, goats, or certain other animals and used by humans for food or as a source of butter, cheeses, yogurt, etc.
  3. any liquid resembling this, as the liquid within a coconut, the juice or sap of certain plants, or various pharmaceutical preparations.
  4. to lament what cannot be changed or corrected; express sorrow for past actions or events: Crying over spilled milk will do you no good now.
—v.t.
  1. to press or draw milk from the udder or breast of.
  2. to extract something from as if by milking.
  3. to get something from; exploit: The swindler milked her of all her savings.
  4. to extract; draw out: He's good at milking laughs from the audience.
—v.i.
  1. to yield milk, as a cow.
  2. to milk a cow or other mammal.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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