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maize

[meyz]
See more synonyms for maize on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (chiefly in British and technical usage) corn1(def 1).
  2. a pale yellow resembling the color of corn.
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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

Historical Examples

  • The ground, embraced by the spurs, was filled with crops of maize and barley.

  • 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
  1. 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
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Word Origin

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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper