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Glite Dictionary
to turn milky

to turn milky

1 4.4
To become cloudy and white like milk
  • phrasal verb
  • /tɜrn ˈmɪlki/
translation icon : volverse lechoso
  • As the red sap is kneaded from the root in the water, it turns milky white and is then left to rest in the water.
  • turns milky white

Please watch carefully as my lime water, as it bubbles, it starts to turn Milky.

Examples

  • When I added the detergent to the water, it began to turn milky as it mixed in.

  • Its eyes, flooding with moonlight, turned milky.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Her eyes turned milky opaque blue, the face changed to a laughing sardonic mask, black-checked with a fleering mouth.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • This traditional recipe calls for cream that will turn milky as it simmers on the stove.

  • If you let the milk sit too long, it will turn milky and lose its clarity.

Antonyms

clear
866 1.0

Free from things that block sight or movement

transparent
54 3.2

Clear enough to see things behind it, like glass

How Cloudy

to turn milky
1 4.4

Surface Forms

turn milky infinitive
turned milky past
turned milky past participle
turning milky present participle
turns milky third person singular

Morphology

turn + milky

The meaning is directly compositional: 'turn' meaning 'change into' combined with 'milky' meaning 'cloudy/whitish' yields 'become cloudy or whitish', so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE. This verb + adjective pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making it accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase turn milky creates a clear picture: something clear, like water or glass, turns white and cloudy as if mixed with milk. That's why it means 'to become cloudy or whitish in appearance'.