Indian corn

noun

corn¹ (def. 1).
any primitive corn with variegated kernels, often used for decorative purposes.

any coarse variety of corn grown for fodder.

Origin of Indian corn

An Americanism dating back to 1610–20

Words Nearby Indian corn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Indian corn in a sentence

The Vine appears at intervals, but is not general through this region: Indian corn is also rare, and appears in small patches.
Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
So they managed to make coffee, fry slices of side-meat, and bake a hoe-cake of Indian-corn meal.
The Boy Settlers | Noah Brooks
When Europeans came, centuries afterward, they called it Indian corn.
Harper's Young People, April 12, 1881 | Various
A scanty diet of Indian-corn gave them little strength to assist in carrying canoes and baggage across the numerous portages.
History of the Discovery of the Northwest by John Nicolet in 1634 | Consul Willshire Butterfield
Indian corn and Oats, however, show them very beautifully, and the scholars have already noticed them in their seedlings.
Outlines of Lessons in Botany, Part I; From Seed to Leaf | Jane H. Newell

British Dictionary definitions for Indian corn

Indian corn

noun

another name for maize (def. 1)

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

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