Where does “curdle” come from?
Curdle comes from Middle English curdlen, from Old English *crudle meaning to congeal or thicken into curds.
curdle (English): To form curds so that it no longer flows...
Definitions
- To form curds so that it no longer flows...
Ancestry of “curdle”, step by step
curdle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English curd
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | curd | The part of milk that coagulates when it sours or... |
| 2 | Middle English | curd | Alternative form of crudde |
| 3 | Middle English | crud | Alternative form of crudde |
| 4 | Middle English | crudde | Milk that has coagulated or a cheese made of it;... |
| 5 | Middle English | crouden | To move a means or form of transport; To cram; to... |
| 6 | Old English | crūdan | to press |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | krūdan | to press, to push |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | krūdaną | to crowd; to press; to drive |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | grewt- | to push; press |
via English cruddle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cruddle | To curdle |