Definition

A type of sour liquid that is produced from milk after the butter has been removed, or by adding bacteria to sweet milk.

Example

She used buttermilk to make the pancakes extra fluffy.

Conversation

Have you ever tried cooking with buttermilk?

No, I haven't! What do you use it for?

It's great for making pancakes really fluffy and delicious.

That sounds amazing! I should definitely give buttermilk a try.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Buttermilk is formed from "butter" (from Old English "butter", meaning a dairy product made from churning cream) and "milk" (from Old English "meolc", meaning the white liquid produced by mammals). The word refers to the liquid remaining after butter has been churned from cream, which is often used in cooking and baking.

Memory Tip

Think of 'butter' as the creamy dairy product and 'milk' as the liquid from mammals — buttermilk is the liquid left after making butter.

Visually Confused Words