corn

1 of 3

noun (1)

often attributive
1
chiefly dialectal : a small hard particle : grain
2
: a small hard seed
usually used in combination
peppercorn
barleycorn
3
British : the grain of a cereal grass that is the primary crop of a region (such as wheat in Britain and oats in Scotland and Ireland)
also : a plant that produces corn
4
a
: a tall annual cereal grass (Zea mays) originally domesticated in Mexico and widely grown for its large elongated ears of starchy seeds

called also Indian corn, maize

b
: the typically yellow or whitish seeds of corn used especially as food for humans and livestock
c
: an ear of corn with or without its leafy outer covering
5
6
a
: something (such as writing, music, or acting) that is corny
b
: the quality or state of being corny : corniness
7

corn

2 of 3

verb

corned; corning; corns

transitive verb

1
: to form into grains : granulate
2
a
: to preserve or season with salt in grains
b
: to cure or preserve in brine containing preservatives and often seasonings
corned beef
3
: to feed with corn

corn

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a local hardening and thickening of epidermis (as on a toe)

Examples of corn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Where birria tacos are served to the rhythm of hip-hop tunes piped through a sound system and Mexican street corn is seasoned like lemon-pepper wings. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Smoak To-Go, open for lunch on those same days, will serve barbecue plates, sandwiches and homemade sides like mustard potato salad, queso corn and apple kale slaw. David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 The current roster includes a bluefin tuna tostada ($12) topped with chipotle aioli and corn microgreens, and mahi-mahi aguachile bearing sesame seeds and a wakame seaweed salad ($15.50) about which Siegel raves. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 The feast includes your choice of roasted turkey or baked ham, plus: Mashed potatoes and gravy Green beans Cornbread stuffing, macaroni and cheese or street corn Cranberry sauce Hawaiian dinner rolls. Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2024 That large percentage of corn kind of brings this whiskey closer to bourbon in terms of flavor, which is certainly not a bad thing. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2024 Set meals at Origin include banchan as well as corn cheese, steamed egg and the restaurant’s signature soybean-paste brisket ramen. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Those states grow the bulk of the U.S. corn crop and are home to much of the nation's ethanol production. By scott McFetridge, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024 The birds roost on the braided river’s sandbars at night, then take to the skies at sunup and head toward neighboring corn fields. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Inside, Crusius continued firing with an AK-47-style rifle, corning shoppers at a bank near the entrance where nine were killed, before shooting at the checkout area and people in aisles. Time, 5 July 2023 But corn itself — whether from the cob, a can or in dog food — can be a healthy part of a dog's diet. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 22 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, going back to Old English, "grain of a cereal grass, seed, berry," going back to Germanic *kurno- (whence also Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old High German & Old Norse korn "grain of a cereal grass, seed," Gothic kaurn), going back to European Indo-European *ǵr̥H-no-, whence also Latin grānum "seed, especially of a cereal grass," Old Irish grán, Welsh grawn, Old Church Slavic zrĭno "grain, seed," Serbian & Croatian zȑno, Russian zernó, Lithuanian žìrnis "pea"

Note: The noun *ǵr̥H-no is sometimes taken to be a zero-grade derivative of Indo-European *ǵerh2- "become old, ripen" (see geriatric entry 1), but this has been disputed.

Verb

derivative of corn entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English corne, probably borrowed from Medieval Latin cornū "horn, horny excrescence," going back to Latin, "horn" — more at horn

Note: Late Old English corn in this sense, attested in the medical text Lacnunga, a collection of remedies, charms and prayers, may be from Latin or an extended sense of Old English corn corn entry 1.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of corn was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near corn

Cite this Entry

“Corn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corn. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

corn

1 of 3 noun
1
: a tall American cereal grass plant widely grown for its large ears of starchy grain which come in many varieties
2
: the seeds of a corn plant that are used especially as food for humans and livestock and are typically yellow or whitish
3
: an ear of corn with or without its leafy outer covering
spent the afternoon picking corn
4
: corny actions or speech

corn

2 of 3 verb
: to preserve by packing with salt or by soaking in salty water
corned beef

corn

3 of 3 noun
: a local hardening and thickening of skin (as on a toe)
Etymology

Noun

Old English corn "seeds of a cereal plant"

Noun

Middle English corne "thickening of the skin," from early French corne "horn," from Latin cornu "horn, point" — related to unicorn

Medical Definition

corn

noun
: a local hardening and thickening of epidermis (as on a toe)

More from Merriam-Webster on corn

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