Maize
Maize ( MAYZ; Zea mays subsp. mays, from Spanish: maíz after Taino: mahiz), also known as corn, is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The leafy stalk of the plant produces pollen inflorescences and separate ovuliferous inflorescences called ears that yield kernels or seeds, which are fruits.Maize has become a staple food in many parts of the world, with the total production of maize surpassing that of wheat or rice. However, little of this maize is consumed directly by humans: most is used for corn ethanol, animal feed and other maize products, such as corn starch and corn syrup. The six major types of maize are dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, flour corn, and sweet corn. Sugar-rich varieties called sweet corn are usually grown for human consumption as kernels, while field corn varieties are used for animal feed, various corn-based human food uses (including grinding into cornmeal or masa, pressing into corn oil, and fermentation and distillation into alcoholic beverages like bourbon whiskey), and as chemical feedstocks. Maize is also used in making ethanol and other biofuels.
Maize is widely cultivated throughout the world, and a greater weight of maize is produced each year than any other grain. In 2014, total world production was 1.04 billion tonnes. Maize is the most widely grown grain crop throughout the Americas, with 361 million metric tons grown in the United States in 2014. Approximately 40% of the crop—130 million tons—is used for corn ethanol. Genetically modified maize made up 85% of the maize planted in the United States in 2009.
Maize (noun)
Corn; a type of grain of the species Zea mays.
Corn (noun)
The main cereal plant grown for its grain in a given region, such as oats in parts of Scotland and Ireland, and wheat or barley in England and Wales.
Corn (noun)
Maize, a grain crop of the species Zea mays.
Corn (noun)
A grain or seed, especially of a cereal crop.
“He paid her the nominal fee of two corns of barley.”
Corn (noun)
A small, hard particle.
Corn (noun)
A type of callus, usually on the feet or hands.
“clavus”
Corn (noun)
Something (e.g. acting, humour, music, or writing) which is deemed old-fashioned or intended to induce emotion.
Corn (noun)
A type of granular snow formed by repeated melting and re-freezing, often in mountain spring conditions.
“corn snow”
Corn (verb)
to granulate; to form a substance into grains
“to corn gunpowder”
Corn (verb)
to preserve using coarse salt, e.g. corned beef
Corn (verb)
to provide with corn (typically maize; or, in Scotland, oats) for feed
“Corn the horses.”
Corn (verb)
to render intoxicated
“ale strong enough to corn one”
Maize (noun)
a Central American cereal plant that yields large grains (corn or sweetcorn) set in rows on a cob. The many varieties include some used for stockfeed and corn oil.
Corn (noun)
the chief cereal crop of a district, especially (in England) wheat or (in Scotland) oats
“fields of corn”
Corn (noun)
the grain of a cereal crop.
Corn (noun)
another term for maize
Corn (noun)
something banal or sentimental
“the film is pure corn”
Corn (noun)
a small, painful area of thickened skin on the foot, especially on the toes, caused by pressure.