semi-skimmed milk

Meaning

1. 1noununcountableBritish

   Cow's milk from which about half of the cream has been removed, so it has less fat than whole milk but more than skimmed milk.

   Grammar: Used without an or a plural: a carton of semi-skimmed milk, not a semi-skimmed milk.

   Patterns

   • a carton of semi-skimmed milk
   • semi-skimmed milk in something

   I take my tea with a splash of semi-skimmed milk.

   We bought two litres of semi-skimmed milk for the week's cereal.

   The recipe works fine with semi-skimmed milk, but whole milk makes the sauce richer.

Common combinations

a pint of semi-skimmed milk

Could you pick up a pint of semi-skimmed milk on your way home?

switch to semi-skimmed milk

My doctor suggested I switch to semi-skimmed milk to cut down on fat.

green-topped semi-skimmed milk

In many UK shops, green-topped semi-skimmed milk is the most popular choice.

warm semi-skimmed milk

A glass of warm semi-skimmed milk helped the child fall asleep.

semi-skimmed milk powder

The cafe uses semi-skimmed milk powder when fresh milk runs out.

Synonyms and how they differ

reduced-fat milk

It is the general label used in many countries, while semi-skimmed names the specific roughly 1.7 percent fat product in Britain.

2% milk

It is the American name for nearly the same product, and it states the fat percentage openly.

half-fat milk

It is an informal everyday description, less common on packaging than semi-skimmed.

Opposites

Word family

skim verb

to remove a layer from the surface of a liquid

skimmed milk noun

milk with almost all fat removed

semi prefix

half or partly

milk noun

the white drink from cows

Commonly confused: semi-skimmed milk or semi-skimmed?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “semi-skimmed milk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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