corn

¹

[ kawrn ]

noun

1. Also called Indian corn;. a tall cereal plant, Zea mays, cultivated in many varieties, having a jointed, solid stem and bearing the grain, seeds, or kernels on large ears.
2. the grain, seeds, or kernels of this plant, used for human food or for fodder.
3. the ears of this plant.
4. the edible seed of certain other cereal plants, especially wheat in England and oats in Scotland.
5. the plants themselves.
6. sweet corn.
7. corn whiskey.
8. Skiing. corn snow ( def ).
9. Informal. old-fashioned, trite, or mawkishly sentimental material, as a joke, a story, or music.

verb (used with object)

1. to preserve and season with salt in grains.
2. to preserve and season with brine.
3. to granulate, as gunpowder.
4. to plant (land) with corn.
5. to feed with corn.

corn

²

[ kawrn ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. a horny induration or callosity of the epidermis, usually with a central core, formed especially on the toes or feet and caused by undue pressure or friction.

-corn

³

1. a combining form meaning “having a horn,” of the kind specified by the initial element:

   longicorn.

Corn.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Cornish.
2. Cornwall.

corn

¹

/ kɔːn /

noun

1. a hardening or thickening of the skin around a central point in the foot, caused by pressure or friction
2. tread on someone's corns informal.
   to offend or hurt someone by touching on a sensitive subject or encroaching on his privileges

corn

²

/ kɔːn /

noun

1. 1. any of various cereal plants, esp the predominant crop of a region, such as wheat in England and oats in Scotland and Ireland
   2. the seeds of such plants, esp after harvesting
   3. a single seed of such plants; a grain
2. Also calledIndian corn British equivalentmaize
   1. a tall annual grass, Zea mays, cultivated for its yellow edible grains, which develop on a spike
   2. the grain of this plant, used for food, fodder, and as a source of oil See also sweet corn popcorn
3. 1. the plants producing these kinds of grain considered as a growing crop

      spring corn

   2. ( in combination )

      a cornfield

4. short for corn whisky
5. slang.
   an idea, song, etc, regarded as banal or sentimental
6. archaic.
   any hard particle or grain

verb

1. to feed (animals) with corn, esp oats
2. 1. to preserve in brine
   2. to salt
3. to plant corn on

Word History and Origins

Origin of corn¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch koren, Old Norse korn, German Korn, Gothic kaúrn; akin to Russian zernó, Latin grānum grain

Origin of corn²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English corn(e), from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin cornū horn (hence a horny hardening of the cuticle); cornu

Origin of corn³

Representing Latin -cornis horned

Word History and Origins

Origin of corn¹

C15: from Old French corne horn, from Latin cornū

Origin of corn²

Old English corn; related to Old Norse, Old High German corn, Gothic kaúrn, Latin grānum, Sanskrit jīrná fragile

Example Sentences

Gabriela entered the United States more than two decades ago, gasping for breath under a pile of corn stalks in the boot of a smuggler's car.

From BBC

And to be sure, a significant portion of the viewing public scarfs these characters and their nasty business like candy corn.

From Los Angeles Times

In the wake of the audio leak scandal, the incumbent wrapped himself in latinidad like a tamale snug inside a corn husk — and he still lost.

From Los Angeles Times

There are some games that will be so entertaining, they should hand out free kettle corn.

From Los Angeles Times

By 1966, The New York Times reported that New Yorkers were dining on "raw fish dishes, sushi and sashimi, with a gusto once reserved for corn flakes."

From Salon

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