Meanings
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1
verb
to separate a liquid, especially milk, into solid curds and liquid, or to cause it to do so
Too much lemon juice will curdle the cream.
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2
verb
to fill someone with intense fear or horror, especially in the expression make one's blood curdle
The scream from the empty corridor made his blood curdle.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A late-sixteenth-century frequentative formation from the obsolete verb curd, 'to congeal,' with earlier dialectal forms such as cruddle showing metathesis. The frightening sense comes from the old belief or vivid sensation that terror can make the blood congeal.