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teosinte

[ tee-uh-sin-tee, tey- ]

noun

  1. a tall grass, Zea mexicana, of Mexico and Central America, closely related to corn, and sometimes cultivated as a fodder plant.


teosinte

/ ˌtiːəʊˈsɪntɪ /

noun

  1. a tall Central American annual grass, Euchlaena mexicana, related to maize and grown for forage in the southern US
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of teosinte1

1875–80; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl teōcintli, equivalent to teō ( tl ) god + cintli dried ear of maize
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Word History and Origins

Origin of teosinte1

C19: from Nahuatl teocentli, from teotl god + centli dry ear of corn
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Example Sentences

And yet experts all agree that the genus teosinte is the ancestral form of all modern varieties of maize.

Over the last eight years, the participating research groups have investigated around 9,000 varieties of maize and 170 varieties of teosinte around the world.

The results showed how the root structure has radically changed during the domestication of teosinte to cultivated maize.

"This is not the case with teosinte."

Farmers in southwest Mexico began to select the progeny of teosinte plants that produced the most grains, and the tastiest grains, more than 9,000 years ago.

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Teófilo OtoniTeotihuacán