The milky fluid which is absorbed by the lymphatic vessels of the intestine. The absorbed portion consists of fats in very fine emulsion, like milk, so that these vessels receive the name of lacteals (L. lac, milk). This absorbed chyle mixes with the lymph and is discharged into the thoracic duct, a vessel, which passes up through the chest to open into the jugular vein on the left side of the neck, where the chyle mixes with the blood.