Meaning & use
yolk of the egg
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Meaning
nounsingular
The round yellow part in the middle of an egg, which contains fat and protein and feeds a developing baby bird.
Grammar: Used with 'the' or 'a': the yolk of the egg, a yolk of an egg (rare). The plural is 'yolks of the eggs' but this is unusual; people usually say 'egg yolks'.
Patterns
- the yolk of the egg
- the yolk of an egg
The yolk of the egg is the part that turns bright yellow when you fry it.
She separated the yolk of the egg from the white to make the sauce.
A single yolk of the egg provides about half the protein in the whole egg.
Word forms
| plural | yolks of the eggs |
|---|
Common combinations
- separate the yolk from the white
- You need to separate the yolk from the white before you whisk the egg.
- the yolk of a fresh egg
- The yolk of a fresh egg sits up high and round.
- break the yolk
- Be careful not to break the yolk when you crack the egg.
- egg yolk
- This recipe uses two egg yolks and no whites.
Synonyms and how they differ
- yolk
- The short, everyday word; 'yolk of the egg' is just a longer way to say the same thing and is used mainly when you want to be very clear.
- egg yolk
- A common compound noun; it is more usual than the full phrase 'yolk of the egg' in cooking and shopping contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- yolk noun
- The yellow part of an egg, considered on its own.
- yolky adjective
- Containing or like yolk; used mostly in descriptions of food.
Commonly confused: yolk of the egg or yoke?
yolk of the egg vs yoke
A yoke is a wooden bar used to join two animals, or a heavy burden. It sounds the same as 'yolk' but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
Which part of the egg is called the yolk of the egg?
Choose one answer.
The yolk of the egg is the yellow center. The clear liquid is the white, the shell is the hard outer part, and the membrane is the thin skin inside the shell.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “yolk of the egg”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.