polenta

See also: Polenta and połenta

English

polenta on a plate between mushrooms and some sliced meat

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian polenta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈlɛntə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: po‧len‧ta
• Rhymes: -ɛntə

Noun

polenta (countable and uncountable, plural polentas)

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

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:polenta.

Derived terms

• polentalike

Translations

starchy accompaniment to a meal — see also grits

• Bulgarian: полента f (polenta)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: polenta (fi)
• German: Polenta (de) f
• Hungarian: puliszka (hu)
• Hunsrik: Polent f
• Italian: polenta (it) f
• Latin: polenta f
• Pannonian Rusyn: замешка f (zameška)
• Polish: polenta (pl) f
• Portuguese: polenta (pt) f
• Romanian: mămăligă (ro) f
• Russian: поле́нта (ru) f (polénta)
• Spanish: polenta (es) f
• Turkish: polenta
• Yiddish: מאַמעליגע (mamelige)

Anagrams

• Lepanto, nepotal, tolpane

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpolentɑ/, [ˈpo̞le̞n̪t̪ɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -olentɑ
• Syllabification^(key): po‧len‧ta
• Hyphenation^(key): po‧len‧ta

Noun

polenta

1. polenta

Declension

Inflection of polenta (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		polenta	polentat
genitive		polentan	polentojen
partitive		polentaa	polentoja
illative		polentaan	polentoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		polenta	polentat
accusative	nom.	polenta	polentat
	gen.	polentan
genitive		polentan	polentojen polentain rare
partitive		polentaa	polentoja
inessive		polentassa	polentoissa
elative		polentasta	polentoista
illative		polentaan	polentoihin
adessive		polentalla	polentoilla
ablative		polentalta	polentoilta
allative		polentalle	polentoille
essive		polentana	polentoina
translative		polentaksi	polentoiksi
abessive		polentatta	polentoitta
instructive		—	polentoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of polenta (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative polentani polentani accusative nom. polentani polentani gen. polentani genitive polentani polentojeni polentaini rare partitive polentaani polentojani inessive polentassani polentoissani elative polentastani polentoistani illative polentaani polentoihini adessive polentallani polentoillani ablative polentaltani polentoiltani allative polentalleni polentoilleni essive polentanani polentoinani translative polentakseni polentoikseni abessive polentattani polentoittani instructive — — comitative — polentoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative polentasi polentasi accusative nom. polentasi polentasi gen. polentasi genitive polentasi polentojesi polentaisi rare partitive polentaasi polentojasi inessive polentassasi polentoissasi elative polentastasi polentoistasi illative polentaasi polentoihisi adessive polentallasi polentoillasi ablative polentaltasi polentoiltasi allative polentallesi polentoillesi essive polentanasi polentoinasi translative polentaksesi polentoiksesi abessive polentattasi polentoittasi instructive — — comitative — polentoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative polentamme polentamme accusative nom. polentamme polentamme gen. polentamme genitive polentamme polentojemme polentaimme rare partitive polentaamme polentojamme inessive polentassamme polentoissamme elative polentastamme polentoistamme illative polentaamme polentoihimme adessive polentallamme polentoillamme ablative polentaltamme polentoiltamme allative polentallemme polentoillemme essive polentanamme polentoinamme translative polentaksemme polentoiksemme abessive polentattamme polentoittamme instructive — — comitative — polentoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative polentanne polentanne accusative nom. polentanne polentanne gen. polentanne genitive polentanne polentojenne polentainne rare partitive polentaanne polentojanne inessive polentassanne polentoissanne elative polentastanne polentoistanne illative polentaanne polentoihinne adessive polentallanne polentoillanne ablative polentaltanne polentoiltanne allative polentallenne polentoillenne essive polentananne polentoinanne translative polentaksenne polentoiksenne abessive polentattanne polentoittanne instructive — — comitative — polentoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative polentansa polentansa accusative nom. polentansa polentansa gen. polentansa genitive polentansa polentojensa polentainsa rare partitive polentaansa polentojaan polentojansa inessive polentassaan polentassansa polentoissaan polentoissansa elative polentastaan polentastansa polentoistaan polentoistansa illative polentaansa polentoihinsa adessive polentallaan polentallansa polentoillaan polentoillansa ablative polentaltaan polentaltansa polentoiltaan polentoiltansa allative polentalleen polentallensa polentoilleen polentoillensa essive polentanaan polentanansa polentoinaan polentoinansa translative polentakseen polentaksensa polentoikseen polentoiksensa abessive polentattaan polentattansa polentoittaan polentoittansa instructive — — comitative — polentoineen polentoinensa

Further reading

• “polenta”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Anagrams

• lopetan, pelotan, peltona

French

Etymology

From Italian polenta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ.lɛn.ta/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Agen)):

  (file)

Noun

polenta f (plural polentas)

1. polenta

Further reading

• “polenta”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Italian

Etymology

From Latin polenta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poˈlɛn.ta/
• Rhymes: -ɛnta
• Hyphenation: po‧lèn‧ta

Noun

polenta f (plural polente)

1. polenta

Derived terms

• polentaio
• polentata
• polentina
• polentone

Descendants

• → Catalan: polenta (“Italian dish”)
• → English: polenta
• → Finnish: polenta
• → French: polenta
• → German: Polenta, Plente
• → Romanian: polenta
• → Spanish: polenta
• → Turkish: polenta

See also

• mais

Anagrams

• Lepanto, Platone, pentola, platone, talpone

Latin

Alternative forms

• polentum

Etymology

From or related to pollen. Cf. also Ancient Greek πάλη (pálē).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [pɔˈɫɛn.ta]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [poˈlɛn.ta]

Noun

polenta f (genitive polentae); first declension

1. pearl barley, peeled-barley, hulled and crushed grain, groats
2. barley meal

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	polenta	polentae
genitive	polentae	polentārum
dative	polentae	polentīs
accusative	polentam	polentās
ablative	polentā	polentīs
vocative	polenta	polentae

Derived terms

• polentācius
• polentārius

Descendants

• Balkano-Romance:
  • >? Aromanian: purintã, purindã, purintu
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Italian: polenta (see there for further descendants)
  • Venetan: połenta
    • →? Cimbrian: pult
    • → Portuguese: polenta
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: polente
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: polenta (“porridge”)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: pulientes
  • Old Spanish: pulienta
• Borrowings:
  • → Middle French: polente
  • → Old English: polente

References

• “polenta”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “polenta”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "polenta", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “polenta”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “polenta”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “polenta”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Portuguese

Etymology

From Venetan polenta or Italian polenta.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /poˈlẽ.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /poˈlẽ.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /poˈlẽ.ta/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /puˈlẽ.tɐ/

Noun

polenta f (plural polentas)

1. polenta

See also

• angu
• fubá

Further reading

• “polenta”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “polenta”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin polenta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poˈlenta/ [poˈlẽn̪.t̪a]
• Rhymes: -enta
• Syllabification: po‧len‧ta

Noun

polenta f (plural polentas)

1. polenta

Further reading

• “polenta”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025