curdle
[ kur-dl ]
/ ˈkɜr dl /
verb (used with or without object), cur·dled, cur·dling.
to change into curd; coagulate; congeal.
to spoil; turn sour.
to go wrong; turn bad or fail: Their friendship began to curdle as soon as they became business rivals.
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Nearby words
Idioms
curdle the/one's blood, to fill a person with horror or fear; terrify: a scream that curdled the blood.
Related formscur·dler, nounnon·cur·dling, adjective, nounun·cur·dled, adjectiveun·cur·dling, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for curdle
British Dictionary definitions for curdle
curdle
/ (ˈkɜːdəl) /
verb
to turn or cause to turn into curd
curdle someone's blood to fill someone with fear
Derived Formscurdler, noun
Word Origin for curdle
C16 (crudled, past participle): from curd
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for curdle
curdle
1630s (earlier crudle, 1580s), "to thicken, cause to congeal," frequentative of curd (v.) "to make into curd" (late 14c.; see curd). Of blood, in figurative sense "to inspire horror" from c.1600. Related: Curdled (1590); curdling (c.1700, almost always with reference to blood, in the figurative sense).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper