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Definition of cornmeal

cornmeal

/ˈkɔːrnˌmiːl/
corn · meal
Plural:cornmeals
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cornmeal Lexical Profile

cornmeal Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A coarse flour ground from dried maize (corn), commonly used to bake cornbread, make tortillas, or boil into a porridge like polenta.

Example

"She dusted the bottom of the pizza stone with a handful of yellow cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for cornmeal

Word Nuance & Usage

Culinary confusion often arises internationally; in North America, 'cornmeal' is a coarse flour, whereas in British English, the extremely fine version is called 'cornflour' (known as cornstarch in the US).

• Nearby Words

cornily
corniness
corning
cornmeal
cornmill
corno
cornrow

Word Origin & Etymology

Originated in American English in the late 18th century as a compound of 'corn' (referring specifically to indigenous American maize) and 'meal' (meaning ground grain).

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Cornmeal. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/cornmeal
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