buttermilk

What it means

1. countableuncountableThe liquid left over after producing butter from full cream milk by the churning process, also called traditional buttermilk.

   An anti-aphrodisiac, suggested in Hindu erotological literature as a way for women to negate amatory challenges, is to bathe in the buttermilk of a she-buffalo.

   1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 52

2. countableuncountableCultured buttermilk, a fermented dairy product produced from cow's milk, with a characteristically sour taste.
3. countableuncountableA light yellow color, like that of buttermilk.

In a sentence

An anti-aphrodisiac, suggested in Hindu erotological literature as a way for women to negate amatory challenges, is to bathe in the buttermilk of a she-buffalo.

1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 52

Where it comes from

1. Middle Englishbutter-melke
2. Englishbuttermilk

Inherited from Middle English butter-melke, equivalent to butter + milk. Cognate with Dutch botermelk (“buttermilk”), German Buttermilch (“buttermilk”), Low German Bottermelk (“buttermilk”), Luxembourgish Bottermëllech (“buttermilk”), Plautdietsch Bottamalkj, Bottamaltj, Bottermalkj, Bottermaltj (“buttermilk”), and Yiddish פּוטערמילך (putermilkh), פּוטער־מילעך (puter-milekh, “buttermilk”).