maize

[meyz]

noun

(chiefly in British and technical usage) corn¹(def 1).
a pale yellow resembling the color of corn.

Origin of maize

1545–55; < Spanish maíz < Hispaniolan Taino mahís

Can be confusedmaize maze

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for maize

Contemporary Examples of maize

Duarte owns a small plot of land where she grazes cattle and grows beans, maize, bananas, and oranges.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution
Nina Lakhani
November 30, 2014

Historical Examples of maize

The ground, embraced by the spurs, was filled with crops of maize and barley.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
They cannot compare favourably with children fed on oatmeal, maize, and milk.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Her mother and her sister are yet there in that place where the maize is planted.
The Treasure Trail
Marah Ellis Ryan
He sank on a heap of maize straw in a corner, and sighed profoundly.
A Set of Six
Joseph Conrad
We began by sowing the cotton, then the fields of millet, maize, and beans.
Perils and Captivity
Charlotte-Adlade [ne Picard] Dard

British Dictionary definitions for maize

maize

noun

Also called: Indian corn
1. a tall annual grass, Zea mays, cultivated for its yellow edible grains, which develop on a spike
2. the grain of this plant, used for food, fodder, and as a source of oilUsual US and Canadian name: corn See also sweet corn
1. a yellow colour
2. (as modifier)a maize gown

Word Origin for maize

C16: from Spanish maiz, from Taino mahiz

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 maize

1550s, from Cuban Spanish maiz, from Arawakan (Haiti) mahiz.