Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The thin yellowish fluid secreted by the mammary glands at the time of parturition that is rich in antibodies and minerals, and precedes the production of true milk.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The first milk secreted in the breasts after childbirth.
  • noun An emulsion made by mixing turpentine and the yolk of eggs.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The first milk secreted after delivery; biestings.
  • noun A mixture of turpentine and the yolk of an egg, formerly used as an emulsion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun medicine A form of milk produced by the mammary glands in late pregnancy and the few days after giving birth. Human and bovine colostrum is thick and yellowish. In humans, it has high concentrations of nutrients and antibodies, but it is small in quantity.
  • noun A mixture of turpentine and egg yolk, formerly used as an emulsion.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun milky fluid secreted for the first day or two after parturition

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin colostrum.

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Examples

  • For 2 or 3 days after the birth, your breasts will produce special milk called colostrum.

    The Simple Guide to Having a Baby Janet Whalley 2005

  • For 2 or 3 days after the birth, your breasts will produce special milk called colostrum.

    The Simple Guide to Having a Baby Janet Whalley 2005

  • For 2 or 3 days after the birth, your breasts will produce special milk called colostrum.

    The Simple Guide to Having a Baby Janet Whalley 2005

  • This is the first milk, called colostrum, and is quite normal.

    Chapter 8 1995

  • The milk that comes from the breasts right after delivery, called colostrum, is very good for the baby and protects against sickness (see Chapter 15).

    Chapter 16 1995

  • The liquid that comes from the breast at this time, called colostrum, is very good for the baby and protects against illness.

    Chapter 16 1995

  • The very first milk the breast makes (called colostrum) also protects the baby against infection and is rich in protein.

    Chapter 26 1993

  • During the first two days the baby draws from the breasts little more than a sweetened watery fluid known as the colostrum; but its intake is essential to the child in that it acts as a good laxative which causes the emptying of the alimentary tract of the dark, tarry appearing stools known as the meconium.

    The Mother and Her Child William S. Sadler

  • The fluid contained in the breast is at this stage called colostrum, and is intended by Nature to act upon the child as a laxative.

    The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing A Manual of Ready Reference Joseph Triemens

  • The calves are then fed colostrum, which is the first milk that the mother produces.

    theithacajournal.com - 2010

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