malt

malt — noun

1. a food ingredient created by dampening barley or other cereal grain, letting it

1.nounB1
Definition

a food ingredient created by dampening barley or other cereal grain, letting it sprout, and then drying it with heat — it forms the base for beer and whisky.

Example

The brewery imports high-quality malt from Germany for its traditional wheat beers.

uncountable: used as raw material in brewing

Tuan soaked barley on the malting floor and watched for sprouts before drying the grain.

Common collocations
  • malt from Scotland
  • malt for brewing
  • quality malt
  • malted barley
  • malt extract
Synonyms
  • barley

    the specific grain most commonly malted; barley is the raw grain before processing, while malt is the processed result

  • grist

    crushed malt that is ready for mashing in brewing; a later stage than malt

Grammar Patterns

malt from [source/region]

malt for [purpose]

Usage Note

Uncountable in this sense — do not say 'a malt' to refer to the grain itself. In technical brewing contexts, 'malts' may be used as a count plural for different varieties of malted grain.

Common Mistakes

I bought three malts from the store' (meaning bags of grain).
I bought three bags of malt from the store.
The grain is uncountable in everyday use.

2. a high-quality whisky made entirely from malted barley rather than a mixture of

2.nounB2
Definition

a high-quality whisky made entirely from malted barley rather than a mixture of grains; also used for a single glass or bottle of this drink.

Example

Eitan poured himself a glass of eighteen-year-old single malt and sat by the fire.

countable: a single malt = a glass of malt whisky

Lan prefers Japanese malts for their light, floral notes that differ from Scottish varieties.

plural: malts = types or brands of malt whisky

Common collocations
  • single malt
  • single malt scotch
  • aged malt
  • twelve-year-old malt
  • Highland malt
Synonyms
  • single malt

    malt whisky from a single distillery; a narrower, more specific term than 'malt'

  • Scotch

    any whisky made in Scotland, including both malt and grain whiskies; broader than 'malt'

Antonyms
  • grain whisky

    whisky made from a mix of grains including corn or wheat, not exclusively malted barley

Grammar Patterns

a [age] single malt

malt from [distillery/region]

malts = types of malt whisky

Usage Note

Countable when referring to a glass or bottle ('a malt') or a specific type ('Highland malts'). Uncountable when discussing the category ('I prefer malt to grain whisky').

Common Mistakes

A malt' in a context about grain shopping (meaning whisky).
A malt' in a bar context correctly means a serving of malt whisky.
Context determines the sense.

3. a sweet beverage made by mixing malted milk powder with milk and usually ice cre

3.nounB1
Definition

a sweet beverage made by mixing malted milk powder with milk and usually ice cream, sometimes served hot or with flavoured syrup.

Example

The children each ordered a strawberry malt with extra whipped cream after the movie.

countable: a malt as a sweet beverage in an informal setting

At the old-fashioned soda fountain, Iris sipped a vanilla malt while reading her book.

Common collocations
  • chocolate malt
  • vanilla malt
  • strawberry malt
  • thick malt
  • malt with whipped cream
Synonyms
  • milkshake

    a thick cold drink made with milk and ice cream; similar to a malt but without the malted milk powder

  • malted milk

    the original name; also refers to the powder itself

Grammar Patterns

a [flavour] malt

malt with [topping]

Usage Note

Countable — 'a malt' always means the drink, never the grain. This sense is primarily American; in British English, 'malted drink' or 'malted milk' is more common than 'malt' alone.

Common Mistakes

Ordering 'a malt' in a UK café and receiving whisky.
In the UK, say 'a malted drink' or 'malted milk' for the sweet beverage.
This sense is American; in Britain, 'malt' alone suggests whisky.

malt — verb

Word family

  • malting
    nounB2
  • malted
    adjectiveB2
  • malty
    adjectiveC1
  • maltster
    nounC1
  • maltose
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Barley is the specific cereal crop most commonly turned into malt; it refers to the raw seed before the malting process begins. 'Grain' is a much broader category covering wheat, rye, oats, corn, and barley — malt is always a specific processed version of some grain, not just any grain. 'Grist' is a technical term from brewing that refers to malt that has already been crushed and is ready for the mashing stage. The sequence is: barley (raw crop) → malt (sprouted and dried) → grist (crushed and ready for brewing). For example: 'The brewer buys whole barley from Midwest farms, malts it on site, then grinds the malt into grist for the mash tun.'

barleygrain ↗grist

Common collocations

Nouns

  • malt whisky
  • malt extract
  • malt powder
  • malt vinegar
  • malt loaf
  • malt syrup

Adverbs

  • lightly malted
  • specially malted
  • traditionally malted

Phrases

  • single malt
  • malted milk
  • malt and hop

Prepositions

  • malt from [region]
  • malt for [purpose]
  • malted with [ingredient]

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Malt comes from Old English 'mealt', from the Proto-Germanic root '*maltą'. This root is related to the Proto-Germanic verb '*meltaną' meaning 'to melt' or 'to dissolve', referring to the softening and swelling of grain as it absorbs water during the malting process. The word has been used in English since before the 12th century and appears in similar forms across Germanic languages — for example, Old Norse 'malt', German 'Malz', and Dutch 'mout'.