farina

IPA/fəˈriː.nə/
KK[fɚˈinə]IPA/fəˈriː.nə/

farina — noun

1. a powdery ingredient made by grinding grains such as wheat, which has a coarser

1.nounB1
Definition

a powdery ingredient made by grinding grains such as wheat, which has a coarser texture than ordinary flour and is typically cooked as a hot breakfast dish or used to thicken puddings

Example

Every morning, Rohan eats a bowl of farina with butter and honey for breakfast.

bowl of farina — common breakfast collocation

For dessert, Mira stirred farina into the simmering milk to make a creamy pudding.

cooking pattern: stir farina into milk

Common collocations
  • cook farina
  • eat farina
  • bowl of farina
  • box of farina
  • warm farina
  • farina with milk
  • farina with butter
  • stir farina
Synonyms
  • cream of wheat

    Cream of Wheat is a brand name for farina; the two terms are used interchangeably in everyday American English.

  • semolina

    Semolina is ground from durum wheat and has a coarser texture than farina; the two are related but not identical.

Grammar Patterns

farina + [verb] + as/for + [purpose]

Usage Note

Farina is most commonly eaten as a hot breakfast cereal in the United States, where it is often sold under brand names. Outside the US, the term may be less familiar and the product is sometimes labelled as coarse wheat flour or semolina, though semolina is typically coarser.

Common Mistakes

I bought farina flour at the supermarket.
I bought farina at the supermarket.
Farina already refers to a type of flour, so adding 'flour' is redundant.
She cooked farina rice for dinner.
She cooked farina for breakfast.
Farina is a wheat product, not rice, and is usually eaten as a breakfast cereal, not as a dinner side dish.

Word family

  • farinaceous
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Farina, cream of wheat, and semolina are all wheat-based products, but they differ in texture and processing. Farina is made from the inner part of wheat kernels and produces a fine, smooth texture when cooked. Cream of Wheat is a brand-name product made from farina, so the two terms are often used interchangeably in American English. Semolina is coarser because it is ground from hard durum wheat and retains more of the grain's structure. Porridge is a broader category that covers any grain — oats, rice, corn — cooked in liquid until thick. Gruel is a thinner, more watery version of porridge. For example, you would say 'I had a bowl of farina for breakfast' but 'I made oatmeal porridge for the children' — the first names a specific product, while the second describes a style of dish.

semolinacream of wheatporridge ↗gruel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • finely ground
  • coarsely ground

Phrases

  • bowl of farina
  • box of farina
  • cook farina with milk
  • stir farina into

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

Farina comes from the Latin word 'far', which meant 'spelt' (an ancient type of wheat) or simply 'grain'. The word passed into Italian as 'farina' meaning 'flour', and then entered English in the 17th century, where it came to refer specifically to a coarsely ground cereal product used for cooking.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1