whey

Alternative forms

• whig (dialectal)
• whay (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English wheye, whei, from Old English hwǣġ, hwæiġ, hwæġ, hweġ (“whey”), from Proto-Germanic *hwają (compare Saterland Frisian Waai, Woaie, West Frisian waai, Dutch 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”)).

Pronunciation

• enPR: hwā, wā, IPA^(key): /ʍeɪ/, /weɪ/
• Rhymes: -eɪ
• Homophones: way, weigh, wey (in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Noun

whey (usually uncountable, plural wheys)

1. The liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained in the process of making cheese.