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colostrum

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin colostrum, of uncertain origin.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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colostrum (usually uncountable, plural colostra)

  1. (medicine) A form of milk produced by the mammary glands in late pregnancy and the few days after giving birth.
    Synonyms: beestings, first milk, fore-milk, green milk
    • 1988 May 17, Gina Kolata, “For Travelers, Milk From Immunized Cows”, in The New York Times‎[1], →ISSN:
      The researchers isolated the antibodies from the cow's colostrum, the first milk produced after birth, which has very high antibody concentrations. They gave these antibodies, extracted from the colostrum, to 10 volunteers and gave another 10 volunteers extracts from colostrum of cows that were not immunized against the traveler's diarrhea bacteria.
    • 2016, Joseph Henrich, chapter 16, in The Secret of Our Success […] , Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN:
      This valuable fluid—colostrum—plays a number of important biological roles, including helping improve an infant's immune system. Nevertheless, many humans intuitively perceive colostrum as “sour milk,” which should not be given to infants. Other species do not make this serious mistake.
  2. A mixture of turpentine and egg yolk, formerly used as an emulsion.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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French

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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colostrum m (plural colostrums)

  1. colostrum

Further reading

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Latin

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Etymology

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Uncertain; see colostra.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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colostrum n (genitive colostrī); second declension

  1. alternative form of colostra

Declension

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Second-declension noun (neuter).