clabber
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
Regionalisms
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.
Etymology
Origin of clabber
1625–35; < Irish clabar short for bainne clabair bonnyclabber
Explanation
Clabber is raw milk that's curdled: it's soured and thickened. It may sound gross, but clabber is edible. This noun for naturally clotted milk has all but vanished from modern English — perhaps a victim of home refrigerators and supermarket shopping. It's the only English descendant of Irish claba, which means "thick." Clabber is certainly thick, and it's also quite chunky. The milk part — in the form of the Irish word bainne — was present in an earlier form of the term, bonnie-clabber. Clabber often consists of buttermilk, and it has frequently been a breakfast food.
Vocabulary lists containing clabber
Bridge to Terabithia
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beloved
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Color Purple
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clabber Girl baking powder, the Coca-Cola bottle and Champagne Velvet beer are also portrayed.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2018
Last year, a crew shoveled 4,000 pounds of crow droppings from the roof of a building used by the Clabber Girl baking powder company.
From New York Times • Oct. 26, 2011
“Sure was nice meeting you all. Listen, Naomi, you mind getting my blueberry pie tin when the picnic’s all over? It’s on a red dishcloth. Has a Clabber Girl stamp on the inside.”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
The Clabber Girl Baking Powder lady was smiling and beckoning to her, one hand under her apron.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
Clabber cheese England Simply cottage cheese left in a cool place until it grows soft and automatically changes its name from cottage to clabber.
From The Complete Book of Cheese by Brown, Robert Carlton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
