>>mãlai "cornflour", mãlãieT "mellow, soft". Unlikely to
>>have anything to do with Mehl
>
> it is mehl. malai si Meismehl.
mãlai = porumb = cucuruz = pãpu$oi. Perfect
synonyms, meaning the plant. This is the main
sense of mãlai. Cornflour is the secondary
meaning. In order to say cornflour i.e. Maismehl one
usually adds fãinã => fãinã de mãlai (NB: in some
regions, esp. in Transylvania and Banate,
Romanians say fãrinã.)
George