 For example, the word "cornmeal" often connotes a grittier texture whereas "corn flour" connotes fine powder, although there is no codified dividing line.The English word "flour" is originally a variant of the word "flower", and both words derive from the Old French "fleur" or "flour", which had the literal meaning "blossom", and a figurative meaning "the finest".The phrase "fleur de farine" meant "the finest part of the meal", since flour resulted from the elimination of coarse and unwanted matter from the grain during milling.