teosinte

American  

[tee-uh-sin-tee, tey-] / ˌti əˈsɪn ti, ˌteɪ- /

noun

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

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teosinte British  

/ ˌtiːəʊˈsɪntɪ /

noun

1. a tall Central American annual grass, Euchlaena mexicana, related to maize and grown for forage in the southern US

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Etymology

Origin of teosinte

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

Example Sentences

Teosinte has 10 times more protein than the corn we eat today, but it was not soft or sweet enough to tempt our ancestors.

From New York Times • May 25, 2013

Teosinte is a bushy plant with short spikes of grain instead of ears, and each spike has only 5 to 12 kernels.

From New York Times • May 25, 2013

"All sorts of Teosinte are out there to be discovered, all sorts of potatoes and other food plants."

From Time Magazine Archive

Teosinte, he said, played no role in its development.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Teosinte still grows wild in some places in Central America, but if you saw it, you might not recognize it as the mother of corn.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan