maize
Americannoun
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maizes
plural
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(chiefly in British and technical usage) corn.
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a pale yellow resembling the color of corn.
noun
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Also called: Indian corn.
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a tall annual grass, Zea mays, cultivated for its yellow edible grains, which develop on a spike
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Usual US and Canadian name: corn. the grain of this plant, used for food, fodder, and as a source of oil See also sweet corn
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a yellow colour
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( as modifier )
a maize gown
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of maize
First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish maíz, from Taíno (Hispaniola) mahís
Explanation
Maize is another word for corn, the tall-growing grain that produces yellow kernels on long ears. A small farmer might grow several different types of maize. Maize is more commonly used in Britain than in the United States to talk about corn, but most Americans recognize the word. Sweet maize is the variety that tastes the most delicious — other kinds of maize are grown as grain to feed animals. The word maize comes from the Spanish maíz, or corn, and both the word and the grain itself moved north from Central and South America into North America, where it became the continent's largest grain crop.
Vocabulary lists containing maize
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Yellow
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Native American History - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The network has around 200 members and "almost all" embrace the spooky season with a mix of "maize mazes, after-dark trails, scare attractions and pumpkin festivals".
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Tampa Bay communities also never adopted the extensive maize agriculture associated with Mississippian society, relying instead on fishing and other marine resources.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
The ministry's top official in charge of livestock development, Jonathan Mueke, said the immediate focus was to get more feed for farmers, including through duty-free importation of yellow maize.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Across Europe, grain maize yields are expected to come in 7% below the last five years’ average, while soybean yields will be 14% below average, according to the report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
As maize swept in, Indians burned and cleared thousands of acres of land, mainly in river valleys.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The comparative nutritive value of white and yellow maizes.
From The Vitamine Manual by Walter H. Eddy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
