corn
(the seeds of) plants, such as wheat, maize, oats, and barley, that can be used to produce flour
a sheaf of corn
Oxford Essential Dictionary
corn
noun (no plural)
1 (British) the seeds of plants that are grown for their grain, for example wheat
2 American English for maize
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
corn
corn S3 /kɔːn $ kɔːrn/ BrE AmE noun
[Sense 1-2: Language: Old English]
[Sense 3: Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: corne 'horn, corner'; ⇨ ↑corner1]
1. [uncountable] British English plants such as wheat, ↑barley, and ↑oats or their seeds:
fields of corn
an ear of corn (=the top part of this plant where the seeds grow)
2.
[uncountable]
a) American English a tall plant with large yellow seeds that grow together on a ↑cob (=long hard part), which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable or fed to animals SYN maize British English:
All our chickens are fed on corn. ⇨ ↑corn on the cob
b) the seeds of this plant ⇨ ↑sweetcorn
3. [countable] a painful area of thick hard skin on your foot
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
corn
corn [corn corns] [kɔːn] [kɔːrn] noun
1. (BrE) uncountable any plant that is grown for its grain, such as wheat; the grain of these plants
• a field of corn
• ears/sheaves of corn
• corn-fed chicken
2. (NAmE) (BrE maize) uncountable a tall plant grown for its large yellow grains that are used for making flour or eaten as a vegetable; the grains of this plant
see also corncob, corn on the cob
3. (NAmE) (BrE sweet·corn) uncountable the yellow seeds of a type of corn ( maize ) plant, also called corn, which grow on thick stems and are cooked and eaten as a vegetable
4. countable a small area of hard skin on the foot, especially the toe, that is sometimes painful
See also: maize ▪ sweetcorn
Word Origin:
senses 1 to 3 Old English Germanic Dutch koren German Korn
sense 4 late Middle English Anglo-Norman French Latin cornu ‘horn’
Collocations:
Farming
Growing food and raising animals
plant trees/seeds/crops/vines/barley
grow/produce corn/wheat/rice/fruit
plough/ (NAmE) plow land/a field
sow/harvest seeds/crops/fields
spread manure/fertilizer on sth
cultivate/irrigate/water/contaminate crops/plants/fields/land
damage/destroy/lose your crop
ripen/pick fruit/berries/grapes
press/dry/ferment grapes
grind/thresh grain/corn/wheat
raise/rear/keep chickens/poultry/cattle/pigs
raise/breed/feed/graze livestock/cattle/sheep
kill/slaughter livestock
preserve/smoke/cure/salt meat
Modern farming
run a fish farm/an organic dairy
engage in/be involved in intensive (pig/fish) farming
use/apply (chemical/organic) fertilizer/insecticides/pesticides
begin/do/conduct field trials of GM (= genetically modified) crops
grow/develop GM crops/seeds/plants/foods
fund/invest in genetic engineering/research
improve/increase crop yields
face/suffer from/alleviate food shortages
label food that contains GMOs (= genetically modified organisms)
eliminate/reduce farm subsidies
oppose/be against factory farming/GM food
promote/encourage/support organic/sustainable farming
Example Bank:
• The corn is still green.
• a field of standing corn
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
corn / kɔːn / / kɔːrn / noun (FOOD)
B1 [ U ] UK (the seeds of) plants, such as wheat, maize, oats, and barley, that can be used to produce flour:
a sheaf of corn
grains of corn
[ U ] US the seeds of the maize plant, or the plant itself
corn / kɔːn / / kɔːrn / noun [ C ] (AREA OF SKIN)
a small, painful area of hard skin that forms on the foot, especially on the toes
corn / kɔːn / / kɔːrn / noun [ U ] mainly US slang (EMOTION)
something that is old-fashioned, boring, or done to create emotion:
Everyone says it's a great movie, but I think it's just corn.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
corn
[kɔ͟ː(r)n]
corns
1) N-UNCOUNT Corn is used to refer to crops such as wheat and barley. It can also be used to refer to the seeds from these plants. [BRIT]
...fields of corn...
He filled the barn to the roof with corn.(in AM, use grain)
2) N-UNCOUNT Corn is the same as maize.
...rows of corn in an Iowa field.
3) N-COUNT: usu pl Corns are small, painful areas of hard skin which can form on your foot, especially near your toes.
4) → See also popcorn, sweetcorn
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1corn /ˈkoɚn/ noun [noncount]
1 US
a : a tall plant that produces yellow seeds (called kernels) that are eaten as a vegetable, used to produce many food products, and used as food for animals
• driving past fields of corn
- called also (US) Indian corn, maize,
- see color picture
b : the seeds of the corn plant eaten as a vegetable
• a dish of buttered corn
• a can of corn
• We ate corn on the cob. [=kernels still attached to the cob/corncob]
- called also (Brit) sweetcorn,
2 Brit somewhat old-fashioned : a plant (such as wheat or barley) that produces seeds which are used for food also; : the seeds of such a plant : grain
3 US informal : something (such as writing, music, or acting) that is old-fashioned and silly or sentimental : something that is corny
• The movie's humor is pure corn. [=is very corny]
- compare 2corn
