buttermilk

American  

[buht-er-milk] / ˈbʌt ərˌmɪlk /

noun

1. the more or less acidulous liquid remaining after butter has been separated from milk or cream.

2. a similar liquid made from whole or skim milk with the addition of a bacterial culture.

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buttermilk British  

/ ˈbʌtəˌmɪlk /

noun

1. the sourish liquid remaining after the butter has been separated from milk, often used for making scones and soda bread

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Etymology

Origin of buttermilk

First recorded in 1520–30; butter + milk

Example Sentences

Soft, tender and just dense enough to hold its shape, these savory muffins are built on a base of flour, cornmeal, butter, oil and buttermilk — a formula so flexible it practically begs for riffing.

From Salon

So I kept things classic: white flour, white sugar, buttermilk — the quiet chorus of pastry fundamentals.

From Salon

For chicken nuggets, tortilla-based masa and jalapeño buttermilk coatings were the key.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nichols’s large donation of ceramics to the museum included an Izumo ware teapot glazed in the creamy buttermilk hue that distinguishes its type.

From The Wall Street Journal

I’ve been quietly working on this one for months — a small obsession that started as a way to use up a half-empty carton of buttermilk and turned, somehow, into a quest.

From Salon

Related Words

• cream
• half-and-half