clabber

[ klab-er ]
See synonyms for: clabberclabberedclabbering on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. milk that has soured and thickened; curdled milk.

verb (used without object)
  1. (of milk) to curdle; to become thick in souring.

Origin of clabber

1
1625–35; <Irish clabar short for bainne clabairbonnyclabber

regional variation note For clabber

Clabber has many regional variations, including bonnyclabber and its variant bonnyclapper in the Northern and Midland U.S., thick milk in the Hudson River Valley and North Midland U.S., lobber and its variant lobbered milk in the Inland North, clobber in the South Midland and Southern U.S., and crud in some widely scattered areas.

Words Nearby clabber

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clabber in a sentence

  • You'll be like Ethan here, who tells me 'bonny clabber' is perfectly splendid, and that he 'loves' Jerusha's Johnny-cake.

    The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
  • We have supper at five o'clock, but usually have a bowl of clabber or a glass of milk before going to bed.

    The American Country Girl | Martha Foote Crow
  • May whiskey turn to clabber in his mouth, and every time he sneezes may he blister the soles of his feet.

    Sixes and Sevens | O. Henry
  • And she would quiet 95 me by digging out all the clabber with a little twig and feed it to the chickens.

    The Annals of Ann | Kate Trimble Sharber
  • Slip is bonny-clabber without its acidity, and so delicate is its flavor that many persons like it just as well as ice cream.

    The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) | Mrs. F.L. Gillette