Standard Lemma guide

polenta

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /pəˈlɛntə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛntə

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various types and consistencies of a starchy accompaniment to a meal made from coarse maize-meal porridge, sometimes fried or grilled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a thick mush made of cornmeal boiled in stock or water

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mush, cornmeal mush

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin polenta Italian polentabor. English polenta Borrowed from Italian polenta.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: полента (polenta) — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Finnish: polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • German: Polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Hungarian: puliszka — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Hunsrik: Polent — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Italian: polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Latin: polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Pannonian Rusyn: замешка (zameška) — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Polish: polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Portuguese: polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Romanian: mămăligă — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Russian: поле́нта (polénta) — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Spanish: polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Turkish: polenta — starchy accompaniment to a meal
  • Yiddish: מאַמעליגע (mamelige) — starchy accompaniment to a meal