I. ˈkərd, -ə̄d, -əid noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English curd, crudd; probably akin to Old English crūdan to press — more at crowd
1.
a. : the part of milk coagulated by souring or being treated with certain enzymes, consisting mainly of casein, and used as food either as produced or as made into cheese — distinguished from whey ; often used in plural
curds and cream
curds and whey
b. : a food resembling milk curd in form or appearance
soybean curd
c. : a gray or whitish coagulant ; specifically : the precipitate formed when soap is used in hard water
2. : the granular mass of soap that separates from the lye and rises when salt is added to the boiled mixture of lye and fat in soapmaking
3. : the undeveloped or partially developed flower head or aggregation of flower heads that forms the edible part of certain brassicas (as cauliflower and broccoli)
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English curden, crudden, from curd, crudd, n.
transitive verb
: to cause to thicken or congeal : coagulate , curdle
intransitive verb
: to become coagulated or thickened : separate into curds and whey