polenta
UK[pəˈlɛntə]US[pəˈlɛntə]
n
a type of thick, soft food made from cornmeal (maize flour) boiled in water.
Etymology
the word 'polenta' entered english in the late 16th century from italian, where it denotes a dish of boiled grain. the italian term itself descends from latin 'polenta', meaning 'pearl barley' or 'barley groats', which is derived from 'pollen', meaning 'fine flour' or 'dust'. this latin root connects to the proto-indo-european base pel-, meaning 'flour' or 'dust', reflecting the fundamental ingredient's processed, powdery state. originally referring to a porridge made from various grains like barley or chestnut flour, the meaning in english became specialized with the introduction of maize from the americas, now referring almost exclusively to the cornmeal-based dish.
Analysis
this word is a loanword adopted as a single unit into english.
Examples
for dinner, we had grilled sausages served over creamy polenta.
polenta can be served soft and porridge-like or left to set and then sliced and fried.
the recipe calls for slowly stirring the cornmeal into boiling water to avoid lumps in the polenta.