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Glite Dictionary
semi-skimmed milk

semi-skimmed milk

1 2.0
Milk with some fat removed so it has less fat than whole milk
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛmiˈskɪmd mɪlk/
  • UK
translation icon : leche semidesnatada
  • Most people choose semi-skimmed milk for its lower fat content.

And I think that I don't see the harm in having low skimmed milk or semi skimmed milk versus whole milk.

Examples

  • And I think that I don't see the harm in having low skimmed milk or semi skimmed milk versus whole milk.

    ZOE

  • I prefer semi-skimmed milk in my coffee for a lighter taste.

  • Then like lots of other people, we switched to semi skimmed milk and I noticed almost immediately the blue tits stopped raiding the milk bottles.

  • And now, if you'll excuse me, I am off for my caramel latte with semi-skimmed milk.

    Blog text (18)

  • My cereal tastes better with semi-skimmed milk instead of whole milk.

Antonyms

whole milk
11 1.0

Milk that still has its natural fat, about three percent

How Fat

whole milk
11 1.0
semi-skimmed milk
  • UK
1 2.0
skimmed milk
  • UK
1 1.4

Surface Forms

semi-skimmed milk singular
semi-skimmed milks plural

Morphology

semi-skimmed + milk

The phrase is directly compositional: 'semi' = partly, 'skimmed' = having had cream removed, and 'milk' = the liquid; together they yield 'milk with some of the cream removed'. This formation (semi-/demi- + skimmed) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Semi-skimmed milk comes from the idea of removing some cream: skimmed means the cream is taken off the top and semi means only part is removed. So it refers to milk with some 'cream' or 'fat' taken away, making it lower in 'fat' than full milk.