corn

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɔːn/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /kɔɹn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)n

Etymology 1

From Middle English corn, from Old English corn, from Proto-West Germanic *korn, from Proto-Germanic *kurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm (“grain; worn-down”), from *ǵerh₂- (“grow old, mature”).

Cognate with Dutch koren, German Low German Koorn, German Korn, Danish korn, Norwegian Bokmål korn, Norwegian Nynorsk korn and Swedish korn; see also Albanian grurë, Russian зерно́ (zernó), Czech zrno, Latin grānum and Lithuanian žirnis. Doublet of grain, gram, and granum.

In sense 'maize' a shortening from earlier Indian corn.

Noun

corn (usually uncountable, plural corns)

1. (Commonwealth English, but not Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, uncountable) Any cereal plant (or its grain) that is the main crop or staple of a country or region.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Genesis 42:2, column 2:

     And hee ſaid, Beholde, I haue heard that there is corne in Egypt: get you downe thither and buy for vs from thence, that we may liue, and not die.

   • 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.

   • 1887, Karl Marx, “The Working Day”, in Samuel Moore and Edward Aveling, transl., edited by Frederick [i.e., Friedrich] Engels, Capital: A Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production: Translated from the Third German Edition, volume I, London: Swan Sonnenschein, Lowrey, & Co., , →OCLC, part III (The Production of Absolute Surplus-value), section 6 (The Struggle for the Normal Working Day. ), page 267:

     Moreover, 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 millenium.

   • 1887, James Death, The Beer of the Bible: One of the Hitherto Unknown Leavens of Exodus. , page 12:

     [T]here exists arguments in favour of regarding one of the eatable varieties of "leaven," Machmetzeth, as the beer of the Hebrews. The mention of beer by the Egyptians is frequent; under the name of Hek, two intoxicating beverages are included. The components of these beers, individually, are not known: one was made from corn, the other was a medicated or sweetened beer, due to the addition of honey, or system of brewing.

   • 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, New Zealand, uncountable) Maize, a grain crop of the species Zea mays.
   • 1809, Edward Augustus Kendall, Travels Through the Northern Parts of the United States‎:

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

   • 1998 February 18, Colin G. Calloway, New Worlds for All: Indians, Europeans, and the Remaking of Early America‎, JHU Press, →ISBN, pages 51–52:

     Corn was the staff of life for many Indian people before contact, and it became the staff of life for many European colonists. Corn was higher in nutrition than most other grain crops. John Lawson, who travelled in South Carolina and into the interior Indian country in 1701, was one of the many colonists who sang the praises of corn.

3. A grain or seed, especially of a cereal crop.

   He paid her the nominal fee of two corns of barley.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, John 12:24, column 2:

     Verely, verely, I ſay vnto you, Except a corne of wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

4. A small, hard particle.
   • 1612–1626, Joseph Hall, “ Of Man.”, in Josiah Pratt, editor, The Works of the Right Reverend Father in God, Joseph Hall, D.D. , volume I (Contemplations), London: C Whittingham, ; for Williams and Smith, , published 1808, →OCLC, part IV (Contemplations on the Old Testament), page 8:

     The least corn of sand is not so small to the whole earth, as man is to the heaven: […]

   • 1852, Thomas Antisell, Hand-book of the Useful Arts:

     corns of powder

5. (uncountable) A type of granular snow formed by repeated melting and refreezing, often in mountain spring conditions.

   Synonym: corn snow

7. (Jamaica, MLE, slang, firearms, uncountable) Bullets, ammunition, charge and discharge of firearms.
   • 2014 June 9, Andrae Hugh Sutherland respectively Popcaan of Popcaan (lyrics and music), “Where We Come From” (track 13), in Where We Come From‎:

     R.I.P Scumpy ah you did say Popcaan
     And if a boy diss we clap corn.

   • 2016 September 9, Liquez respectively Dimzy of 67 (lyrics and music), “Jump Out Gang” (track 7), in Let’s Lurk‎:

     We got spinners and dotties
     We got .40s and MACs
     We got nuff live corn
     […] See the four-door pausing
     Skengs out, everyone runnin
     But the corn just slapped and floored em
     50 shots in that mop

8. (Jamaica, slang, uncountable) Money.
   • 1984, Smiley Culture, Cockney Translator (song title)‎:

     You know dem have wedge while we have corn. Say Cockney say be first, my son! We just say Gwan!

Derived terms

Descendants

• Tok Pisin: kon
• → Maori: kānga

Translations

See also

Verb

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

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 (an animal) with corn (typically maize; or, in Scotland, oats) for feed.

   Corn the horses.

4. (transitive, obsolete) To render intoxicated.

   ale strong enough to corn one

5. (Jamaica, MLE, slang) To shoot up with bullets as by a shotgun (corn).
   • 2019 September 11, Yanko (lyrics and music), “Next Up”, in #ACGK‎, 1:49:

     Anywhere, anytime, I'll get him, if he's in love; I'll corn his wedding
     He backed his wetter, I backed my wetter but who really held that wetting?

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English corne, from Old French corn (modern French cor), from Latin cornu. Doublet of corno and cornu.

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Corn (medicine)

Wikipedia

Noun

corn (plural corns)

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

   Synonym: clavus

   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 57, column 2:

     Welcome Gentlemen, / Ladies that haue their toes / Vnplagu’d with Cornes, will walke about with you: […]

2. (veterinary medicine) An inflammatory disease of a horse's hoof, at the caudal part of the sole.
3. (veterinary medicine) Skin hyperplasia with underlying fibroma between both digits of cattle.

Hyponyms

• callus

Translations

Etymology 3

From corny.

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:

     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, 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

Etymology 4

For the rhyme, and with influence from the emoji substitute 🌽.

Noun

corn (uncountable)

1. (Internet, euphemistic) pornography; porn

References

Anagrams

• Cron

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin cornū

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Noun

corn m (plural corns)

1. horn (of animal)

   Synonym: banya

2. (music) horn
3. sea snail

Derived terms

Related terms

• cornal
• corniol

Further reading

• “corn” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish corn (“drinking horn, goblet; trumpet, horn; curl”), from Latin cornū.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koːɾˠn̪ˠ/

Noun

corn m (genitive singular coirn, nominative plural coirn)

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

   Synonyms: corn óil, buabhall

3. (sports) cup
4. (motor racing) plate

Declension

Derived terms

Verb

corn (present analytic cornann, future analytic cornfaidh, verbal noun cornadh, past participle corntha)

1. (transitive) roll, coil

Conjugation

Alternative forms

• cornaigh, cornáil

Mutation

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “corn”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Entries containing “corn” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “corn” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English corn, from Proto-West Germanic *korn, from Proto-Germanic *kurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm. Doublet of greyn.

Alternative forms

• corne, korn, coorn, curn, coren, koren

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔrn/, /koːrn/, /kurn/

Noun

corn (plural corn or cornes)

1. Any plant that bears grain, especially wheat.
2. A field planted with such plants.
3. Any kind of grain (especially as food)
   • p. 1154, “AD 1137”, in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (MS. Laud Misc. 636, continuation), Peterborough, folio 89, verso; republished at Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 2018 February 8:

     þa ƿaſ coꝛn dære: ⁊ flec ⁊ cæſe ⁊ butere. foꝛ nan ƿæſ o þe land. Ƿreccemen ſturuen of hungær.

     Grain was precious then, and meat, cheese, and butter, because there wasn't any in the country. Wretched men died from hunger.

   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Matheu 3:12, page 2r, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     whos wynewing cloþ is in his hond .· ⁊ he ſchal fulli clenſe his coꝛn flooꝛ / and he ſchal gadere his wheete in to his berne .· but þe chaf he ſchal bꝛenne wiþ fier þat mai not be quenchid

     His winnowing fan is in his hand; he'll fully clean his threshing-floor, he'll gather up his wheat into his barn, and he'll burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

4. A seed of a non-grain plant.
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Matheu 13:31-32, page 6v, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     An oþer parable iheſus puttide foꝛþ to hem. / ⁊ ſeide / þe kyngdom of heuenes is lijk to a coꝛn of ſeneuey · which a man took ⁊ ſewe in his feeld · / which is þe leeſt of alle ſeedis / but whanne it haþ woxen .· it is the mooſt of alle woꝛtis · ⁊ is maad a tre / ſo þe bꝛiddis of þe eir comen ⁊ dwellen in þe bowis þerof.

     Jesus put another parable forwards to them, saying: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in their field; / it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is the largest of all plants; it becomes a tree, so the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

5. A grain or seed used as a unit of weight.
6. The optimum product; the superior portion.
7. The deserving; those who are morally right.
8. A bole (external tumourous growth).

Related terms

• corny
• kernel
• peper corn

Descendants

• English: corn (see there for further descendants)
• Scots: corn, curn
• Yola: coorn, koorn

References

• “cō̆rn, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-08.

Etymology 2

Noun

corn

1. Alternative form of corne (“callus”)

Old English

Etymology

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

Cognate with Old Frisian korn, Old Saxon korn (Low German Koorn), Dutch koren, Old High German korn, Old Norse korn, Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (kaurn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /korn/,

Noun

corn n

1. corn, a grain or seed
   • 880-1150, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

     Hīe wǣron benumene æġðer ġe ðæs ċēapes ġe ðæs cornes.

     They were deprived both of cattle and of corn.

2. a cornlike pimple, a corn on the foot

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: corn, corne, korn, coorn, curn, coren, koren
  • English: corn (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: corn, curn
  • Yola: coorn, koorn

Old French

Alternative forms

• cor, coir, cuir
• corne f

Etymology

From Latin cornū.

Noun

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

1. horn (bony projection on the head of some animals)
2. corner, angle, secluded place
3. (figurative) strength, power
4. horn (instrument used to create sound)

   Synonyms: olifan, graisle

Descendants

• French: cor

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (corn)

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin cornū.

Noun

corn n (plural coarne)

1. horn

Declension

Derived terms

• încorna
• cornări
• cornos

Related terms

• cornut

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin cornus.

Noun

corn m (plural corni)

1. cornel, European cornel, Cornus mas
2. rafter (of a house)

Declension

Related terms

• coarnă

See also

• sânger

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English corn, from Old English corn.

Noun

corn (plural corns)

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

Verb

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

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh corn, from Proto-Brythonic *korn, from Latin cornū.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔrn/
• Rhymes: -ɔrn

Noun

corn m (plural cyrn)

1. horn
2. (obsolete) chimney
3. corn, callus

Derived terms

Mutation

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “corn”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies