durum
(ˈd(j)uːrəm)
[f. L. durum, neut. of dūrus hard, used as the specific epithet of Triticum durum (R. L. Desfontaines Flora Atlantica (1798) I. 114).]
In full durum wheat. A species of wheat, Triticum durum, or one of its varieties, characterized by hard seeds rich in gluten and yielding a flour used in the manufacture of spaghetti, etc.
| 1908 P. T. Dondlinger Bk. Wheat i. 8 There are several kinds of the less common wheats, such as Polish wheat, spelt and durum wheat. 1911 Encycl. Brit. XIV. 276/2 A wonderful region for growing the durum or macaroni wheat. 1921 Nature CVII. 251/1 The common wheats, such as Marquis, were susceptible, the durums such as Kubanka, ‘commercially resistant’. 1961 Economist 26 Aug. 822/1 Durum wheat, an extremely hard wheat normally grown in hot climates and used to make pasta dishes like spaghetti and macaroni, has risen steeply in price. |