Barilla

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A variety of pasta crafted from durum wheat semolina, often found in Italian dishes
2. A form of dry pasta made primarily with semolina from durum wheat commonly used in traditional Italian cooking
3. A pasta product consisting of durum wheat semolina shaped into various forms, frequently served with Italian sauces

Etymology: The English word came from Spanish "barrilla," which named the saltwort plant and the alkaline ash produced by burning it. That ash, rich in soda, was a valuable source of sodium carbonate for making glass and soap, and the plant grew abundantly along Mediterranean and Spanish coasts, where it was harvested for this purpose. The pasta sense is a different story. It came from the Italian food company of the same name, so a word first tied to plant ash for glassmakers and soapmakers came to mean a kind of dried noodle through a brand. Speakers in English now use it mainly for that pasta.