cream

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English creime, creme, from Anglo-French creme, cresme, from Late Latin cramum, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cramen scab, crust Date: 14th century 1. the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat 2. a. a food prepared with cream b. something having the consistency of cream; especially a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation 3. the choicest part ; best <

the cream of the crop

> 4. creamer 1 5. a. a pale yellow b. a cream-colored animal II. verb Date: 1596 intransitive verb 1. to form cream or a surface layer like the cream on standing milk 2. to break into or cause something to break into a creamy froth; also to move like froth transitive verb 1. a. skim 1c b. to remove (something choice) from an aggregate <

she has creamed off her favorite stories from her earlier books — Times Literary Supplement

> 2. to furnish, prepare, or treat with cream; also to dress with a cream sauce 3. a. to beat into a creamy froth b. to work or blend to the consistency of cream <

cream butter and sugar together

> c. to cause to form a surface layer of or like cream 4. a. to defeat decisively <

was creamed in the first round

> b. wreck <

creamed the car on the turnpike

> c. to hit with force ; smash <

the quarterback got creamed by the pass rush

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