kefir

K5E1F4I1R1
/kəˈfɪə(ɹ)//ˈkiːfə(ɹ)//ˈkɛfə(ɹ)/

noun

A fermented milk drink from the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, similar to yogurt but more liquid.

UncommonScrabble 12

Meanings

kefir1

nounkefir (usually uncountable, plural kefirs)

plural kefirs · alternative keefir · alternative kephir

  1. uncountableusuallyA fermented milk drink from the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, similar to yogurt but more liquid.

    Mason jars are great for making kefirs.

    2015, Kristin Merizalde, Holistic Health Basics: 5 Tips For Achieving Better Health, →ISBN
    2 more examples

    Water kefir grains differ from milk kefir grains and are generally used to make kefirs based on fruit juices or sugared waters.

    2015, David Perlmutter, Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain—for Life, Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN

    Commercially made kefirs on the other hand have seen the development of starter cultures that make the whole process more efficient and quicker while also providing longer product shelf lives.

    2018, Mark Gibson, “Milk and Dairy”, in Food Science and the Culinary Arts, Academic Press, →ISBN, page 148

kefir2

nounkefir (plural kefirs)

plural kefirs · alternative keefir · alternative kephir

  1. alternativeAlternative form of kafir.

Origin

  1. Russianкефи́р
  2. Englishkefir

Borrowed from Russian кефи́р (kefír); see that entry for more.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كِيفِير
  • كِيفِير (kifīr)fermented milk
Bulgarian кефи́р
  • кефи́р (kefír)fermented milk
Catalan quefir
  • quefirfermented milk
Chinese Mandarin 克非爾 /克非尔
  • 克非爾 /克非尔 (kèfēi'ěr)fermented milk
Czech kefír
  • kefírfermented milk
Danish kefir
  • kefirfermented milk
Esperanto kefiro
  • kefirofermented milk
Estonian keefir, kefiir
  • keefirfermented milk
  • kefiirfermented milk
Finnish kefiiri
  • kefiirifermented milk
French kéfir
  • kéfirfermented milk
German Kefir
  • Kefirfermented milk
Greek κεφίρ
  • κεφίρ (kefír)fermented milk
Hebrew קפיר
  • קפירfermented milk
Hindi केफिर
  • केफिर (kephir)fermented milk
Hungarian kefir
  • kefirfermented milk
Italian kefir
  • kefirfermented milk
Japanese ケフィア
  • ケフィア (kefia)fermented milk
Korean 케피르
  • 케피르 (kepireu)fermented milk
Latvian kefīrs
  • kefīrsfermented milk
Lithuanian kefyras
  • kefyrasfermented milk
Persian کفیر, دوغ کفیر
  • کفیر (kafir)fermented milk
  • دوغ کفیر (duġ-e kafir)fermented milk
Polish kefir
  • kefirfermented milk
Portuguese quefir, kefir
  • quefirfermented milk
  • kefirfermented milk
Russian кефи́р
  • кефи́р (kefír)fermented milk
Slovak kefír
  • kefírfermented milk
Spanish kéfir
  • kéfirfermented milk
Swedish kefir
  • kefirfermented milk
Thai คีเฟอร์
  • คีเฟอร์ (kii-fə̂ə)fermented milk
Turkish kefir
  • kefirfermented milk
Ukrainian кефі́р
  • кефі́р (kefír)fermented milk
Vietnamese rượu kêfia
  • rượu kêfiafermented milk

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

kefir. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kefir

MLA

“kefir.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kefir. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kefir,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kefir.

Source: kefir on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.