phyllo
UK[ˈfɪləʊ]US[ˈfaɪloʊ]
n
A type of very thin, flaky pastry dough used especially in Greek and Middle Eastern cooking.
Morpheme Breakdown
phyllo
phyllo
leaf
Etymology
The word "phyllo" is a direct borrowing from Modern Greek phyllo, which itself is a shortened form of phyllon, meaning "leaf." This Greek term can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root bhel-, meaning "to thrive, bloom," which also gave rise to words for foliage and flowers. The semantic connection is perfectly literal: the pastry is named for its characteristic, paper-thin layers which resemble leaves or sheets. Thus, the modern culinary term preserves the ancient Greek concept of a leaf in its descriptive name for the dough's delicate, layered structure.
Analysis
Structure: phyllo (leaf)
phyllo (from Greek phyllon, meaning "leaf").
Examples
The baklava was made with dozens of layers of buttered phyllo dough.
You can find frozen phyllo in the pastry section of most supermarkets.
Carefully lay the sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush it with melted butter.