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Glite Dictionary
milk of lime

milk of lime

8.2
A milky liquid used to make things less acidic, for example in tanning and water treatment
  • noun
  • /mɪlk əv laɪm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : leche de cal
  • During the leather tanning process, hides are soaked in milk of lime to remove hair and flesh.

Examples

  • The addition of milk of lime neutralized the acidic water in the treatment plant.

  • If too much milk of lime is added, it can cause excessive alkalinity in the solution.

  • The chemist prepared a fresh batch of milk of lime.

  • Can you add milk of lime to the solution?

  • During the leather tanning process, hides are soaked in milk of lime to remove hair and flesh.

  • If too much milk of lime is added, it can cause excessive alkalinity in the solution.

  • The addition of milk of lime is essential for neutralizing the acidic water in various industrial treatments.

Surface Forms

milk of lime singular
milks of lime plural

Morphology

milk + of + lime

The noun phrase is compositional: it names a milky (milk-like) substance made from lime, so combining 'milk' (a milky liquid) with 'lime' (the calcium compound) directly yields the intended meaning. This follows a common 'X of Y' descriptive naming pattern that is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the concept.

Etymology

The noun milk of lime comes from a simple image: the liquid looks like white milk, and it is made by mixing powdered lime with water. That's why the name helps you remember it means the milky liquid of lime used to treat hides, clean water, and for many industrial tasks.