corn 1 (kôrn)n.1. a. Any of numerous cultivated forms of a widely grown, usually tall annual cereal grass (Zea mays) bearing grains or kernels on large ears.b. The grains or kernels of this plant, used as food for humans and livestock or for the extraction of an edible oil or starch. Also called Indian corn, maize.2. An ear of this plant.3. Chiefly British Any of various cereal plants or grains, especially the principal crop cultivated in a particular region, such as wheat in England or oats in Scotland.4. a. A single grain of a cereal plant.b. A seed or fruit of various other plants, such as a peppercorn.5. Corn snow.6. Informal Corn whiskey.7. Slang Something considered trite, dated, melodramatic, or unduly sentimental.v. corned, corn·ing, corns v.tr.1. To cause to form hard particles; granulate.2. a. To season and preserve with granulated salt.b. To preserve (beef, for example) in brine.3. To feed (animals) with corn or grain.v.intr. To form hard particles; become grainy: “After the snow melts all day, it corns up at night for fine conditions” (Hatfield MA Valley Advocate).[Middle English, grain, from Old English; see gr??-no- in Indo-European roots.]Word History: Originally, the English word corn meant any rounded grain or seed whatsoever. In particular, it was used to refer to the kind of grain most often grown in a certain region. Thus in England, a cornfield is usually a field of wheat. The pretty blue cornflower is a Eurasian weed that originally plagued fields of wheat, not maize. In Scotland, on the other hand, corn can mean “oats,” the grain that thrives best in Scotland’s cool and damp climate. To modern North Americans, however, corn means maize?that is, the plant Zea mays and its seeds. When they first encountered Zea mays in the 16th century, the English borrowed the Spanish term for the grain, maíz, which is in turn a borrowing of Arawakan mahiz or mahís. Later, in the 17th century, another term for maize appears, Indian corn?the word Indian here meaning “native to the Americas.” The American word corn in the specific meaning “maize” is simply a shortening of Indian corn.corn 2 (kôrn)n. A horny thickening of the skin, usually on or near a toe, resulting from pressure or friction. Also called clavus.[Middle English corne, from Old French, horn, from Latin corn?; see ker- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.corn (k??n) n1. (Agriculture) a. any of various cereal plants, esp the predominant crop of a region, such as wheat in England and oats in Scotland and Irelandb. the seeds of such plants, esp after harvestingc. a single seed of such plants; a grain2. (Plants) a. a tall annual grass, Zea mays, cultivated for its yellow edible grains, which develop on a spikeb. the grain of this plant, used for food, fodder, and as a source of oil. See also sweetcorn1, popcorn13. (Agriculture) a. the plants producing these kinds of grain considered as a growing crop: spring corn. b. (in combination): a cornfield. 4. (Brewing) short for corn whisky5. slang an idea, song, etc, regarded as banal or sentimental6. archaic or dialect any hard particle or grainvb (tr) 7. (Agriculture) to feed (animals) with corn, esp oats8. (Cookery) a. to preserve in brineb. to salt9. (Agriculture) to plant corn on[Old English corn; related to Old Norse, Old High German corn, Gothic kaúrn, Latin gr?num, Sanskrit j?rná fragile]corn (k??n) n1. (Pathology) a hardening or thickening of the skin around a central point in the foot, caused by pressure or friction2. tread on someone’s corns informal Brit to offend or hurt someone by touching on a sensitive subject or encroaching on his privileges[C15: from Old French corne horn, from Latin corn?]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014corn1 (k?rn) n. 1. Also called Indian corn ;esp. technical and Brit., maize. a. a tall cereal plant, Zea mays, cultivated in many varieties, having a jointed, solid stem and bearing the kernels on large ears. b. the kernels of this plant, used for human food or for fodder. c. the ears of this plant. 2. a. the edible seed of certain other cereal plants, esp. wheat in England and oats in Scotland. b. the plants themselves. 3. sweet corn. 4. corn whiskey. 5. Informal. old-fashioned, trite, or mawkishly sentimental material, as a story or music. v.t. 6. to preserve and season with brine or with salt in grains. 7. to granulate, as gunpowder. 8. to feed with corn. [before 900; Middle English, Old English, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old High German, Old Norse korn, Gothic kaurn; akin to Latin gr?num grain, Russian zernó] corn2 (k?rn) n. a horny growth of tissue with a tender core, formed over a bone, esp. on the toes, as a result of pressure or friction. [1375?1425; late Middle English corne In American English, corn is a long rounded vegetable covered in small yellow seeds. The seeds themselves are also called corn.In British English, this vegetable is usually called sweetcorn.In British English, corn refers to any type of cereal plant growing in a particular area, for example wheat, barley, or maize.Speakers of American English use grain for this meaning.