milked

Milked is the past participle of the verb milk. As a verb, to milk means to extract milk from a dairy animal—most commonly cows, goats, and sheep—by hand or with milking machines. As an adjective, “milked” can describe milk or a dairy process that has been completed, or animals that have recently undergone milking. The term also appears in metaphorical uses, such as milking information or milking a situation, meaning to obtain as much advantage or revenue as possible from a person or circumstance.

In dairy farming, milking is a routine operation performed at regular intervals, often twice daily, using milking parlors or robotic milking systems. The goal is to collect milk while minimizing stress to the animal. Milk is typically cooled and pasteurized before consumption; byproducts include cream and whey. Dairy operations are subject to welfare standards, hygiene practices, and food-safety regulations that vary by country. Advances in milking technology have automated many tasks, increasing efficiency but also prompting concerns about animal welfare and work conditions.

In other contexts, “milked” can describe a situation where resources have been exhausted or profits fully extracted, as in “milked dry.” The word’s usage has a long-standing place in agriculture and in business language, reflecting the dual sense of extraction from a resource and of exploitation in social and economic interactions.