seed corn
Americannoun
noun
-
the good quality ears or kernels of corn that are used as seed
-
assets or investments that are expected to provide profits in the future
Etymology
Origin of seed corn
First recorded in 1585–95
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.
And when you eat your seed corn, you have nothing left to plant next year.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2023
Mexico was where corn was first domesticated starting around 9,000 years ago, and the country will still ban imports of GM seed corn to protect native varieties.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
He knows of just one exception to this policy in his lifetime: In 1996, his father gave seed corn back to the Mohegans, after the tribe won federal recognition.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2021
The complaint’s single heartening finding is that AltEn was the only ethanol plant in Nebraska and one of the two plants in the country using treated seed corn as an ethanol feedstock.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 8, 2021
Luke made it over to Jen’s only once in all of February, and twice in March, when Dad began driving around looking for the best seed corn prices.
From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
