corn

[ kawrn ]

/ kɔrn /

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.

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Origin of corn

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

Definition for corn (2 of 4)

corn²

[ 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 cornūhorn, 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. 2021

British Dictionary definitions for corn (1 of 2)

corn¹

/ (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)

corn²

/ (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

Medical definitions for corn

corn

[ kôrn ]

n.

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

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