Dictionary

whey en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /hweɪ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• wā
• /weɪ/
• hwā

Etymology

From Middle English whey, wheye, whei, from Old English hwǣġ, hwæiġ, hwæġ, hweġ (“whey”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwaij (“whey”) (cognate with Saterland Frisian Waai, Woaie, West Frisian waai, Dutch wei, Low German Wei, German Low German Wei), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- (“to pile up, build”) (compare Old Church Slavonic чинъ (činŭ, “order”), Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō, “to pile up, make”), Sanskrit कय (káya, “every one”)).

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) The liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained in the process of making cheese.
   • {...} if I wished any blessing in the world, it was to find him a worthy object of pride; and I’m bitterly disappointed with the whey-faced, whining wretch! 1847, Emily Brontë, chapter XX, in Wuthering Heights:
   • Little Miss Muffet, She sat on a tuffet, Eating of curds and whey; There came a little spider, Who sat down beside her, And frighted Miss Muffet away. 1805, Songs for the Nursery, page 23:

Forms

Coordinates

curds

Deriveds

wheyface · wine whey · wheyey · whey-faced · curds and whey · sack-whey · wheylike · green whey

Relateds

bland · buttermilk · milk · yogurt

Translations (97)

ky сары суу (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · pl serwatka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · et vadak (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · id air dadih (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · el ξινόγαλο (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · dsb srowatka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · yi סראָוועטקע (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · dsb serowatka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · gd meang (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · uk сиро́ватка (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · nb myse (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · gl soro (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · nl wei (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sq thartor (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ro zer (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · vi váng sữa (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · gd meadhg (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · uk дзер (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sk srvátka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · tg зардоб (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · cmn 乳清 (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · yue 乳清 (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · fo mysa (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · gd miùg (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · hu savó (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · az zərdab (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · gd meug (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ca xerigot (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · hi मट्ठा (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sh sȕrutka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · hsb syrwatka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · pt soro (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · de Molke (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · vi nước sữa (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · fa پنیرآب (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sv vassla (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ms whey (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · arz شرش (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sq hirrë (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ms dadih susu (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · grc ὀρός (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · fr petit-lait (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · alt сары суу (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ar شِرْش (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · is mysa (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · eu gazur (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · mi wei (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · bg сурова́тка (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · mk сурутка (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ru сы́воротка (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · uz zardob (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sv vassle (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ka შრატი (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · mk ѕира (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sl sírotka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · id laktoserum (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · tr kesilmiş süt suyu (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · yi סעראָוועטקע (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ko 유청 (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · la serum (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · nrf meigue (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · mi wai karera (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · br laezh-glas (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · he מֵי גְּבִינָה (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ja 乳清 (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · th หางนม (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · it siero di latte (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · gd miong (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · da valle (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · io selakto (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · scn seru (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · hsb syrowatka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · yi סיראָוועטקע (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · tr peynir altı suyu (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · cs syrovátka (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · he נסיוב (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · rif aɣi (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · cy maidd (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ar مَصْل (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · fa آبپنیر (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ga meadhg (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · lt išrūgos (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · be сыро́ватка (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · sh су̏рутка (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · es suero (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · lv sūkalas (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · eo selakto (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ar مَاء الْجُبْن (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · ka რძის შრატი (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · lb Wässeg (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · pa ਪਨੀਰ ਪਾਣੀ (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · kk сарысу (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · fi hera (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · hy շիճուկ (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · km ទឹកដោះថ្លា (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · os сулу (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled) · el ορός γάλακτος (liquid remaining after milk has been curdled)

wikidata: Q185009

whey en · INTJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /hweɪ/
• (Southern-England) audio
• wā
• /weɪ/
• hwā

Etymology

Onomatopoeic, variation on wahey.

Meanings

1. (UK, dated) A shout for attention
   • somebody who was more or less to their senses, shouted... ' Whey! ... Had on lads!' and everybody was trying to get wocken up and sorted out. 1982, Frank Entwisle, Abroad in England:
   • He swayed over to the door, peered out, shouted "whey!" and came back, looking severe. 1928, Ruth Manning-Sanders, Waste Corner:
2. (UK) A shout of enthusiasm or delight
   • ... apart from Max, who rode his pallet like a surfboard with a huge grin plastered across his face. “Wheyyyyyyy!” Max yelled with delight. 2011 September 1, Case File 12: The Case of the Messy Mucked Up Masterpiece, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
   • Several drunken men shouted from the corner. “Wheyyyy, showtime! Go on, go on!” 2016 December 30, Hahn Moo-Sook, The House of Pomegranate Trees, Literature Translation Institute of Korea, →ISBN:
3. (UK) Shouted when someone drops a glass or other crockery, especially in a pub.
   • If they don't shout "wheyyy" when you smash a glass, did it even smash? 2020 February 10, Claire Galloway, “15 things only people who have worked in an Edinburgh pub will understand”, in Edinburgh Live:
   • the sloshed post-work boozers all shout "Wheyyyyyyy!' at a glass that's smashed on the floor 2024 May 9, Oisín McKenna, Evenings and Weekends, HarperCollins UK, →ISBN:
   • 12. Smashing a glass and the whole bar choruses "WHEYYYY". 2014 February 18, Catriona Harvey-Jenner, “25 things only bar staff will understand”, in Cosmopolitan UK:

Forms