Curd
/kɜːrd/noun
A soft, white or pale substance formed when milk coagulates, especially in cheesemaking.
Did you know?Curd is etymologically linked to words like hard and chord, all tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root for “to become hard,” a reminder that language often describes transformation as a kind of magical solidifying.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱer-
“to harden, become solid”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*krdaz
“something hardened or coagulated”
Old English
OE
gecurd
“coagulated milk, curds”
Middle English
ME
curde
“curd, coagulated milk”
Modern English
English
curd
“the coagulated part of milk, especially in cheesemaking”