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Glite Dictionary
foremilk

foremilk

7.6
Milk made at the start of a feed that is thinner and sweeter than later milk
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔrˌmɪlk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : leche inicial
  • Foremilk can appear thinner and more watery compared to the creamier hindmilk.

Examples

  • The baby drank the foremilk eagerly.

  • Mothers often notice that foremilk is thinner.

  • Mothers are advised to allow the baby to nurse long enough to receive both foremilk and hindmilk.

  • The nurse explained that foremilk is rich in lactose and helps quench the baby's thirst.

  • The baby eagerly drank the foremilk, which is known to be lower in fat than hindmilk.

  • Many lactating mothers notice that foremilk is richer in lactose compared to the milk produced later.

  • Foremilk is the thinner milk produced at the beginning of a breastfeeding session.

How Fatty

breast milk
24 1.8
foremilk
  • Specialized
7.6

Surface Forms

foremilk singular
foremilks plural

Morphology

foremilk = milk (transparent) = fore + milk

The meaning 'milk produced at the beginning' is directly deducible from the productive prefix 'fore-' (before) and 'milk'.

Etymology

Foremilk comes from the parts fore- meaning 'before' and milk, so it is the milk that comes at the very start of a feeding. That's why foremilk is thinner and more watery than the milk that comes later.