Indian corn

American  

noun

1. corn.

2. any primitive corn with variegated kernels, often used for decorative purposes.

3. any coarse variety of corn grown for fodder.

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Indian corn British  

noun

1. another name for maize

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Etymology

Origin of Indian corn

An Americanism dating back to 1610–20

Example Sentences

But in the fall, it takes on the appearance of a one-stop seasonal shop: bundles of Indian corn speckled with jewel-tone purples, lemon yellows and deep auburn.

From Washington Post • Sep. 15, 2022

Unwitting agents of the Columbian exchange, husbands planted English crops like wheat, rye, oats, and peas, as well as Indian corn and pumpkins, and carefully tended horses, cows, and pigs.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Indian corn, which features a brown base flavored with cocoa, has been sold since the 1950s.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2014

Only the skirt survives of the sumptuous wedding gown, which was described by the Lady's Pictorial as "'the colour like the tassel of Indian corn, the silk shimmering bright like the silk on the cocoon".

From The Guardian • Apr. 29, 2013

In the dust of the barn lot Papa had come across an ear of Indian corn.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck