dairy

[ dair-ee ]

/ ˈdɛər i /

noun, plural dair·ies for 1–4.

an establishment, as a room, building, or buildings, where milk and cream are kept and butter and cheese are made.

a shop or company that sells milk, butter, etc.

the business of a dairy farm, concerned with the production and treatment of milk and cream and the manufacture of butter and cheese.

dairy farm.

milk, or products made from or containing milk; dairy products, as butter and cheese: He avoids red meat, processed foods, and dairy in his diet.

(in Jewish dietary law) foods, including all milk products, eggs, fish, vegetables, etc., that may be eaten at a meal in which milk is served, in contrast to meat and meat products, which may not.

adjective

of or relating to a dairy or a dairy farm.

relating to or for milk, cream, butter, cheese, etc.: dairy products; the dairy case at a supermarket.

(in Jewish dietary law) of or relating to dairy, in contrast to meat and meat products.

RELATED WORDS

farm, buttery, factory, creamery

Nearby words

daimyo bond, daintily, dainty, daiquiri, dairen, dairy, dairy breed, dairy cattle, dairy factory, dairy farm, dairyer

Origin of dairy

1250–1300; Middle English daierie, equivalent to daie, deie dairymaid (Old English dǣge bread maker; cognate with Old Norse deigja; see lady) + -erie -ery

Can be confuseddairy diary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dairies

The good man's horror of Suffolk witches is equal to his admiration of Suffolk dairies.
A Book about Doctors|John Cordy Jeaffreson
Flo Yes, by the way, do you understand anything about dairies in America?
Our American Cousin|Tom Taylor
Down in the marsh they were cutting ice for the dairies—it was high time too!
Ditte: Girl Alive!|Martin Andersen Nexo
Some dairies find a difficulty in disposing of the milk—they cannot find a purchaser.
Hodge and His Masters|Richard Jefferies

I superintend the dairies; the butter and the cheese are the produce of my industry.
Imogen|William Godwin

British Dictionary definitions for dairies

dairy

/ (ˈdɛərɪ) /

noun plural dairies

a company that supplies milk and milk products

a shop that sells provisions, esp milk and milk products
NZ a shop that remains open outside normal trading hours

a room or building where milk and cream are stored or made into butter and cheese

(modifier) of or relating to the production of milk and milk productsdairy cattle
(in combination)a dairymaid; a dairyman

food containing milk or milk productsshe can't eat dairy
(as modifier)dairy produce

Word Origin for dairy

C13 daierie, from Old English dǣge servant girl, one who kneads bread; see dough, lady

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dairies

dairy

late 13c., "building for making butter and cheese; dairy farm," formed with Anglo-French -erie affixed to Middle English daie (in daie maid "dairymaid"), from Old English dæge "kneader of bread, housekeeper, female servant" (see dey (n.1)). The purely native word was dey-house.

dairy

noun, plural dair·ies for 1–4.

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dairy

Examples from the Web for dairies

British Dictionary definitions for dairies

dairy

noun plural dairies

Word Origin for dairy

Word Origin and History for dairies

dairy