churn

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

churn, n. [OE. chirne, cherne, AS. ceren, cyrin; akin to D. karn, Dan. kierne. See Churn, v. 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.  [1913 Webster]

churn, v. t. [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.].

•  To stir, beat, or agitate, as milk or cream in a churn, in order to make butter.  [1913 Webster]
•  To shake or agitate with violence.  [1913 Webster]

  "Churned in his teeth, the foamy venom rose."  [1913 Webster]

churn, v. i. 

 To perform the operation of churning.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

churn, n. & v.
--n.
1 Brit. a large milk-can.
2 a machine for making butter by agitating milk or cream.
--v.
1 tr. agitate (milk or cream) in a churn.
2 tr. produce (butter) in this way.
3 tr. (usu. foll. by up) cause distress to; upset, agitate.
4 intr. (of a liquid) seethe, foam violently (the churning sea).
5 tr. agitate or move (liquid) vigorously, causing it to foam.

Idiom

churn out produce routinely or mechanically, esp. in large quantities.

Etymology

OE cyrin f. Gmc

THESAURUS

churn

agitate, agitation, agitator, beat, beat up, beater, blender, bluster, bobbery, boil, boiling, brouhaha, bubble, bustle, cement mixer, churn up, clabber, clot, coagulate, colloid, colloidize, commotion, conturbation, convulse, cream, crucible, curdle, disarrange, discompose, discomposure, disorder, disquiet, disquietude, disturb, disturbance, ebullition, eggbeater, embroilment, emulsifier, emulsify, emulsionize, excite, excitement, ferment, fermentation, fever, feverishness, fidgets, flap, flurry, fluster, flutteration, foam, foment, fret, fume, fuss, hubbub, hurly-burly, incrassate, inquietude, inspissate, jell, jellify, jelly, jiggler, jitters, jumpiness, lopper, maelstrom, malaise, melting pot, mixer, moil, nerviness, nervosity, nervousness, paddle, perturb, perturbate, perturbation, restlessness, rile, ripple, roil, roughen, rout, row, ruffle, rumple, seethe, seething, shake, shake up, shaker, simmer, smolder, stew, stir, stir up, swirl, thicken, to-do, trepidation, trepidity, trouble, tumult, tumultuation, turbidity, turbulence, turmoil, twitter, unease, unrest, upset, vibrator, whip, whip up, whisk, work up

ROGET THESAURUS

churn

Agitation

VB be agitated, shake, tremble, tremble like an aspen leaf, quiver, quaver, quake, shiver, twitter, twire, writhe, toss, shuffle, tumble, stagger, bob, reel, sway, wag, waggle, wriggle, wriggle like an eel, dance, stumble, shamble, flounder, totter, flounce, flop, curvet, prance, cavort, squirm, throb, pulsate, beat, palpitate, go pitapat, flutter, flitter, flicker, bicker, bustle, ferment, effervesce, foam, boil, boil over, bubble up, simmer, toss about, jump about, jump like a parched pea, shake like an aspen leaf, shake to its center, shake to its foundations, be the sport of the winds and waves, reel to and fro like a drunken man, move from post to pillar and from pillar to post, drive from post to pillar and from pillar to post, keep between hawk and buzzard, agitate, shake, convulse, toss, tumble, bandy, wield, brandish, flap, flourish, whisk, jerk, hitch, jolt, jog, joggle, jostle, buffet, hustle, disturb, stir, shake up, churn, jounce, wallop, whip, vellicate.

Semiliquidity

VB inspissate, incrassate, thicken, mash, squash, churn, beat up, sinter.