dairy

noun

ˈder-ē 

plural dairies

often attributive

1

: a room, building, or establishment where milk is kept and butter or cheese is made

2

a

: the department of farming or of a farm that is concerned with the production of milk, butter, and cheese

b

: a farm devoted to such production

3

: an establishment for the sale or distribution chiefly of milk and milk products

4

: milk from a cow or other domestic animal (such as a goat)

also : food (such as ice cream, cheese, or yogurt) made primarily of or from milk

dairy adjective

dairy products

Examples of dairy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Risk of infection is highest among people in the dairy and poultry industries who make direct contact with infected animals, or among people, such as the Louisiana man, who keep backyard flocks that could get sick from contact with infected animals in the wild. —Alice Park, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025

Some people also avoid dairy products because norovirus can sometimes lead to a temporary lactose intolerance. —Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025

Bird flu has infected tens of millions of chickens in the Unites States, as well as dairy cows, cattle raised for beef, and a variety of other mammals, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 7 Jan. 2025

In addition, more than two-thirds of the state’s dairy herds — 697 — have been infected, as well as 93 commercial or backyard poultry flocks, accounting for nearly 22 million birds. —Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deierie, dayerye, borrowed from Anglo-French deyerie, daerie, from Middle English deie, daie "woman in charge of milking and making butter and cheese" (going back to Old English dǣge "female baker, female servant," going back to Germanic *daigjōn—whence also Old Norse deigja "female servant"— derivative of *daiga- dough) + Anglo-French -erie -ery (after botelerie "wine cellar," paneterie "bread shop, pantry")

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dairy

• dairy cattle

Kids Definition

dairy

noun

ˈde(ə)r-ē 

da(ə)r-

plural dairies

1

: a place where milk is kept and butter or cheese is made

2

: a farm devoted to the production of milk

3

: a company that sells milk and milk products

4

: milk from a cow or other domestic animal (as a goat)

also : food (as ice cream, cheese, or yogurt) made primarily of or from milk