Cornflours

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of flour made from finely ground corn kernels, commonly used in baking and cooking as a thickening agent or ingredient
2. A variety of flour produced by grinding dried corn, utilized in a range of culinary applications like sauces and pastries
3. Finely milled flour derived from corn, which serves as a versatile ingredient in numerous recipes, enhancing texture and flavor

Etymology: "Cornflours" is the plural of "cornflour", so it names several kinds or portions of the powdery starch. The base word is a compound of "corn" and "flour". In British English, "corn" has long meant the main local cereal, so the sense of "flour" here is the finely ground powder of that grain, not the wheat flour most English speakers picture by default. The compound shares its name with a more surprising relative. "Cornflour" is a piecewise doublet of "cornflower", meaning the two words came from the same root in English but split into different senses and spellings. The flower and the powder are thus cousins in the language, though nothing about a blue blossom and a white starch obviously connects them.

Synonyms: cornstarches, starches, flours, meal, powders