corn

[ kawrn ]

/ kɔrn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR corn ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called Indian corn; especially technical and British, maize. 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.

the grain, seeds, or kernels of this plant, used for human food or for fodder.

the ears of this plant.

the edible seed of certain other cereal plants, especially wheat in England and oats in Scotland.

the plants themselves.

sweet corn.

corn whiskey.

Skiing. corn snow.

Informal. old-fashioned, trite, or mawkishly sentimental material, as a joke, a story, or music.

verb (used with object)

to preserve and season with salt in grains.

to preserve and season with brine.

to granulate, as gunpowder.

to plant (land) with corn.

to feed with corn.

Nearby words

cormack, cormack, allan macleod, cormel, cormophyte, cormorant, corn, corn beef, corn belt, corn borer, corn bread, corn broom

Origin of corn

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

Definition for corn (2 of 4)

corn

[ kawrn ]

/ kɔrn /

noun Pathology.

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.

Origin of corn

1375–1425; late Middle English corne < Anglo-French, Middle French < Latin cornū horn, hence a horny hardening of the cuticle. See cornu

Definition for corn (3 of 4)

-corn

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

Origin of -corn

representing Latin -cornis horned

Definition for corn (4 of 4)

Corn.

Cornish.

Cornwall.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for corn

I certainly found it very helpful when I realized we were going to have to grow our own corn.
Christopher Nolan Uncut: On ‘Interstellar,’ Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the Future of Mankind|Marlow Stern|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That must have been some corn for her to remember it 50 years later!
Joan Rivers: The Playboy Bunnies Weren’t Sluts!|Patty Farmer|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is perfectly capable of introducing a bill requiring all cars to run on corn stalks instead of gasoline.
Up to a Point: In Defense of Lobbyists|P. J. O’Rourke|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He helped set up an institute in Mexico aimed at improving wheat and corn production.
Growth Stocks|The Daily Beast|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Corn Refiners Association did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Guess Who Doesn’t Want You to Know How Much Added Sugar Is in Your Food|Tim Mak|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If his corn yield was low, he would learn how to get a larger yield.
The New Education|Scott Nearing
The soil in the neighbourhood is deep enough for the cultivation of corn.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers|Jules Verne
On the 14th November, 1913, Mr. Summers died of blood poisoning, the result of cutting a corn with a blunt razor.
De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bona|Ernest Evan Spicer
It is true that there are sugar and coffee, but no corn, no potatoes, and none of our delicious varieties of fruit.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
For bread there was a small quantity of "hard tack" and a large supply of corn meal.
Camp Venture|George Cary Eggleston

British Dictionary definitions for corn (1 of 2)

corn

/ (kɔːn) /

noun

British

any of various cereal plants, esp the predominant crop of a region, such as wheat in England and oats in Scotland and Ireland
the seeds of such plants, esp after harvesting
a single seed of such plants; a grain

Also called: Indian corn British equivalent: maize

a tall annual grass, Zea mays, cultivated for its yellow edible grains, which develop on a spike
the grain of this plant, used for food, fodder, and as a source of oilSee also sweet corn (def. 1), popcorn (def. 1)

the plants producing these kinds of grain considered as a growing cropspring corn
(in combination)a cornfield

short for corn whisky

slang an idea, song, etc, regarded as banal or sentimental

archaic, or dialect any hard particle or grain

verb (tr)

to feed (animals) with corn, esp oats

to preserve in brine
to salt

to plant corn on

Word Origin for corn

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

British Dictionary definitions for corn (2 of 2)

corn

/ (kɔːn) /

noun

a hardening or thickening of the skin around a central point in the foot, caused by pressure or friction

tread on someone's corns British informal to offend or hurt someone by touching on a sensitive subject or encroaching on his privileges

Word Origin for corn

C15: from Old French corne horn, from Latin cornū

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

Word Origin and History for corn (1 of 2)

corn

n.1

"grain," Old English corn, from Proto-Germanic *kurnam "small seed" (cf. Old Frisian and Old Saxon korn "grain," Middle Dutch coren, German Korn, Old Norse korn, Gothic kaurn), from PIE root *gre-no- "grain" (cf. Old Church Slavonic zruno "grain," Latin granum "seed," Lithuanian žirnis "pea"). The sense of the Old English word was "grain with the seed still in" (e.g. barleycorn) rather than a particular plant.

Locally understood to denote the leading crop of a district. Restricted to the indigenous "maize" in America (c.1600, originally Indian corn, but the adjective was dropped), usually wheat in England, oats in Scotland and Ireland, while Korn means "rye" in parts of Germany. Maize was introduced to China by 1550, it thrived where rice did not grow well and was a significant factor in the 18th century population boom there. Cornflakes first recorded 1907. Corned beef so called for the "corns" or grains of salt with which it is preserved; from verb corn "to salt" (1560s).

Word Origin and History for corn (1 of 2)

corn

n.2

"hardening of skin," early 15c., from Old French corne (13c.) "horn (of an animal)," later, "corn on the foot," from Latin cornu "horn" (see horn (n.)).

Medicine definitions for corn

corn

[ kôrn ]

n.

A small conical callosity caused by pressure over a bony prominence, usually on a toe.clavus heloma

corn

noun

verb (used with object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of corn

Definition for corn (2 of 4)

corn

noun Pathology.

Origin of corn

Definition for corn (3 of 4)

-corn

Origin of -corn

Definition for corn (4 of 4)

Corn.

Examples from the Web for corn

British Dictionary definitions for corn (1 of 2)

corn

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for corn

British Dictionary definitions for corn (2 of 2)

corn

noun

Word Origin for corn

Word Origin and History for corn (1 of 2)

corn

Word Origin and History for corn (1 of 2)

corn

Medicine definitions for corn

corn

n.