corn

See also -corn, còrn, and Còrn

English

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /kɔːn/, X-SAMPA: /kO:n/
• (US, Canada) IPA: /kɔrn/, X-SAMPA: /kOrn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)n

Etymology 1

Old English corn, from Proto-Germanic *kurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm (“grain; worn-down”), neuter participle of Proto-Indo-European *ǵer- (“to wear down”). Cognate with Dutch koren, German Korn, Danish/Norwegian/Swedish korn; see also Russian зерно (zerno), Czech zrno, Latin grānum, Lithuanian žirnis and English grain.

Noun

corn (usually uncountable; plural corns)

1. (uncountable) A cereal plant grown for its grain, specifically the main such plant grown in a given region, such as oats in parts of Scotland and Ireland, wheat or barley in England and Wales, and maize or sweetcorn in the Americas.
   • 1847, John Mason Neale, Stories from heathen mythology and Greek history, page 115:

     Among the divinities that dwelt on Mount Olympus, none was more friendly to the husbandman than Demeter, goddess of corn.

   • 1867, Karl Marx (Samuel Moore & Edward Aveling, translators), Das Kapital^[1]:

     However much the individual manufacturer might give the rein to his old lust for gain, the spokesmen and political leaders of the manufacturing class ordered a change of front and of speech towards the workpeople. They had entered upon the contest for the repeal of the Corn Laws, and needed the workers to help them to victory. They promised therefore, not only a double-sized loaf of bread, but the enactment of the Ten Hours' Bill in the Free-trade millennium.

   • 1909, Johann David Wyss (Susannah Mary Paull, translator), The Swiss Family Robinson, page 462:

     I found that we had nearly a hundred bushels of corn, including wheat, maize, and barley, to add to our store.

2. (US, Canada, Australia, uncountable) A type of grain of the species Zea mays, maize
   • 1809, Edward Augustus Kendall, Travels Through the Northern Parts of the United States^[2]:

     The planting or sowing of maize, exclusively called corn, was just accomplished on the Town Hill, when I reached it.

3. (UK, uncountable) A grain or seed, especially of cereal crops.

corn (Zea mays)

Derived terms

terms derived from corn (noun)

corn bunting cornflour cornmeal

cornstarch peppercorn sweetcorn

Translations

maize — see maize

the fruits of a cereal crop

• Arabic: غلة (ar) (ğálla) f
• Armenian: հացահատիկ (hy) (hac'ahatik) 
• Bulgarian: зърно (bg) (zărno) n 
• Dutch: koren (nl) n, graan (nl) n
• Esperanto: greno (eo), tritiko (eo), aveno (eo), hordeo (eo)
• Finnish: vilja (fi) (collectively), jyvä (fi) (individual)
• German: Korn (de) n, Getreide (de) n, Zerealie (de) f
• Hebrew: דָּגָן (he) (dagán) m
• Ido: cerealo (io)

• Japanese: 穀物 (ja) (こくもつ, kokumotsu)
• Low Saxon (Low German): Koorn (nds) n, Kuurn (nds) n, Korn (nds) n, Kurn (nds) n
• Macedonian: зрно (mk) (z'rno) n
• Maltese: qamħerrun (mt)
• Norwegian: korn (no) n
• Persian: ذرت (fa) (dhorat)
• Russian: зерно (ru) (zernó) n 
• Scottish Gaelic: arbhar (gd) m
• Slovak: zrno (sk) n

See also

other words for grain

barley cereal grain maize

oats rye wheat

Verb

corn (third-person singular simple present corns, present participle corning, simple past and past participle corned)

1. (US, Canada) To granulate; to form a substance into grains.

   to corn gunpowder

2. (US, Canada) To preserve using coarse salt, e.g. corned beef
3. (US, Canada) To provide with corn (typically maize; or, in Scotland, oats) for feed.

   Corn the horses.

4. (transitive) To render intoxicated.

   ale strong enough to corn one

Translations

to preserve with salt

• Greek: αλατίζω (el) (alatízo) 

• Macedonian: соли (mk) (sóli)

Etymology 2

From Old French corn (modern French cor).

Wikipedia

Noun

corn (plural corns)

1. A type of callus, usually on the feet or hands.

Synonyms

• clavus

Hyponyms

• callus

Translations

type of callus

• Bulgarian: мазол (bg) (mazol) m 
• Czech: kuří oko (cs) n
• Dutch: eelt (nl) n, eksteroog (nl) n
• Esperanto: piedkalo (eo) (very explicit), kalo (eo) (generic)
• Finnish: liikavarvas (fi)
• French: cor (fr) m
• German: Hühnerauge (de) n
• Greek: κάλος (el) (kálos) m 
• Hungarian: tyúkszem (hu)

• Italian: callo (it) m, durone (it) m
• Low Saxon (Low German): Höhneroog (nds) n, Heuhneroog (nds) n, Häuhneroog (nds) n
• Macedonian: плускавец (mk) (plúskavec) m, набиеница (mk) (nabiénica) f, мозолка (mk) (mózolka) f
• Maltese: kallu (mt) m
• Manx: aase eairkagh (gv)
• Portuguese: calo (pt) m
• Russian: мозоль (ru) (mozól’) f 
• Turkish: nasır (tr)

Etymology 3

This use was first used in 1932, as corny, something appealing to country folk.

Noun

corn (uncountable)

1. (US, Canada) Something (e.g. acting, humour, music, or writing) which is deemed old-fashioned or intended to induce emotion.
   • 1975, Tschirlie, Backpacker magazine,

     He had a sharp wit, true enough, but also a good, healthy mountaineer's love of pure corn, the slapstick stuff, the in-jokes that get funnier with every repetition and never amuse anybody who wasn't there.

   • 1986, Linda Martin and Kerry Segrave, Women in Comedy‎,

     There were lots of jokes on the show and they were pure corn, but the audience didn't mind.

   • 2007, Bob L. Cox, Fiddlin' Charlie Bowman: an East Tennessee old-time music pioneer and his musical family,

     The bulk of this humor was pure corn, but as hillbilly material it was meant to be that way.

Derived terms

• cornball
• corny

Etymology 4

Noun

corn (uncountable)

1. (uncountable) short for corn snow.. A type of granular snow formed by repeated melting and re-freezing, often in mountain spring conditions.

References

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin cornū.

Noun

corn m (plural corns)

1. horn (of animal)
2. (music) horn

Synonyms

• (animal horn): banya

Derived terms

• corn anglès
• cornar

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Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA: [koːɾˠn̪ˠ]

Noun

corn m (genitive coirn, nominative plural coirn)

1. horn (musical instrument)
2. drinking-horn

Declension

Declension of corn

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative corn coirn Vocative a choirn a chorna Genitive coirn corn Dative corn coirn

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an corn na coirn Genitive an choirn na gcorn Dative leis an gcorn don chorn leis na coirn

Synonyms

• (drinking-horn): corn óil, buabhall

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
corn	chorn	gcorn
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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Old English

Etymology

Proto-Germanic *kurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm (“grain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /koɹn/

Noun

corn n

1. corn, a grain or seed
   • Hie wæron benumene ægðer ge ðæs ceapes ge ðæs cornes: they were deprived both of cattle and of corn. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)
2. a cornlike pimple, a corn on the foot

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Old French

Alternative forms

• corne f

Noun

corn m (oblique plural corns, nominative singular corns, nominative plural corn)

1. horn (bony projection found on the head of some animals)
2. horn (instrument used to create sound)

Synonyms

• (instrument): olifan, graisle

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA: [korn]

Etymology 1

From Latin cornū.

Noun

corn n (plural coarne)

1. horn

Declension

declension of corn

	singular		plural
gender n	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	un corn	cornul	niște coarne	coarnele
genitive/dative	unui corn	cornului	unor coarne	coarnelor

Derived terms

• încorna
• cornos

Related terms

• cornut

Etymology 2

From Latin cornus.

Noun

Flowers of the European Cornel; Florile cornului

corn n (plural corni)

1. European Cornel, scientific name Cornus mas
2. rafter (of a house)

Declension

declension of corn

	singular		plural
gender m	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	un corn	cornul	niște corni	cornii
genitive/dative	unui corn	cornului	unor corni	cornilor

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Scots

Noun

corn (plural corns)

1. corn
2. oats
3. (in plural) crops (of grain)

Verb

tae corn (third-person singular simple present corns, present participle cornin, simple past cornt, past participle cornt)

1. to feed (a horse) with oats or grain

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Welsh

Noun

corn m (plural cyrn) 

1. horn