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Webster 1913 Edition


Churn

Churn

(chûrn)
,
Noun.
[OE.
chirne
,
cherne
, AS.
ceren
,
cyrin
; akin to D.
karn
, Dan.
kierne
. See
Churn
,
Verb.
T.
]
A vessel in which milk or cream is stirred, beaten, or otherwise agitated (as by a plunging or revolving dasher) in order to separate the oily globules from the other parts, and obtain butter.

Churn

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Churned
(chûrnd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Churning
.]
[OE.
chernen
, AS.
cernan
; akin to LG.
karnen
, G.
kernen
, D.
karnen
, Dan.
kierne
, Sw.
kärna
, and also to E.
corn
,
kernel
, the meaning coming from the idea of extracting the kernel or marrow. See
Kernel
.]
1.
To stir, beat, or agitate, as milk or cream in a churn, in order to make butter.
2.
To shake or agitate with violence.
Churned
in his teeth, the foamy venom rose.
Addison.

Churn

,
Verb.
I.
To perform the operation of churning.

Webster 1828 Edition


Churn

CHURN

,
Noun.
A vessel in which cream or milk is agitated for separating the oily part from the caseous and serous parts, to make butter.

CHURN

, v.t.
1.
To stir or agitate cream for making butter.
2.
To shake or agitate with violence or continued motion, as in the operation of making butter.

Definition 2024


churn

churn

English

Verb

churn (third-person singular simple present churns, present participle churning, simple past and past participle churned)

  1. (transitive) To agitate rapidly and repetitively, or to stir with a rowing or rocking motion; generally applies to liquids, notably cream.
    Now the cream is churned to make butter.
    • Addison
      Churned in his teeth, the foamy venom rose.
  2. (transitive, figuratively) To produce excessive and sometimes undesirable or unproductive activity or motion.
    • 2012 November 17, John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Time:
      The slope of the terrain, shaped like a funnel, squeezed the growing swell of churning snow into a steep, twisting gorge.
  3. (intransitive) To move rapidly and repetitively with a rocking motion; to tumble, mix or shake.
    I was so nervous my stomach was churning.
  4. (informal, travel, aviation) (in a booking system) to repeatedly cancel and rebook a reservation in order to refresh ticket time limits or other fare rule restrictions.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

churn (plural churns)

  1. A vessel used for churning.
    a butter churn
  2. (telecommunications) The time when a consumer switches his/her service provider.
  3. (telecommunications) The mass of people who are ready to switch carriers, expressed by the formula Customer Quits/Customer base.

Derived terms

Translations