Semolinas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of flour made from durum wheat, commonly used in making pasta and couscous
2. Coarsely ground wheat used in various culinary dishes, particularly in Mediterranean cuisine
3. Referring to the fine particle size of the grain, often used in porridge or baked products

Etymology: "Semolinas" is simply the plural of "semolina," so the story belongs to the singular. Semolina came into English from Italian "semolino," a diminutive of "semola," which in turn descends from Latin "simila," meaning finest wheat flour. The Italian diminutive ending makes the word literally "little semola," a small portion of the fine flour that was prized above ordinary grain. The Latin "simila" is itself probably a borrowing from a Semitic language; the Aramaic "semida" is one of the forms sometimes cited as its source, which shows how far the word for fine flour travelled through the Mediterranean trade of grain. Along the way it also left a trace in German, where regional dialects use "Semmel" for a bread roll, a bread made from fine white flour.

Synonyms: semolina