corn

/kɔ:n/

Học thuật

Thân thiện

A farmer harvests ripe corn in a sunny field.

Definition

Noun:
- A type of cereal plant or its edible seed: In American English, "corn" primarily refers to the tall plant (Zea mays) that produces large ears of yellow or white grains, also known as maize. In British English, "corn" can refer generally to the dominant cereal crop of a region, such as wheat or oats.
- The hard seed or grain of such a plant: The individual kernels, especially when dried and used as food for humans or animals.
- A small, hard area of thickened skin: A callus, typically on the foot, caused by pressure or friction from shoes.
- Something considered trite, overly sentimental, or mawkish: Informal use for ideas, writing, or entertainment perceived as unsophisticated or clichéd.
- Whiskey: Specifically, whiskey distilled from a mash containing a high percentage of corn.
Verb:
- To preserve meat by treating it with salt or a brine: The process of making corned beef.
- To feed grain, especially corn, to animals: To provide livestock with corn as fodder.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- We grew corn in the field behind our house. (We cultivated maize plants.)
- The recipe calls for one cup of corn. (The recipe requires one cup of maize kernels.)
- He got a painful corn from his new shoes. (He developed a painful callus.)
- That old romance novel is full of corn. (That novel is full of clichéd, sentimental material.)
- He ordered a glass of corn at the bar. (He ordered a corn-based whiskey.)
Verb:
- They used to corn beef to keep it from spoiling. (They preserved the beef with salt.)
- The farmer corns his cattle during the winter. (The farmer feeds his cattle corn.)

Advanced Usage

"Acknowledge the corn" (Idiom, chiefly US): To admit the truth of a point, especially one that is damaging to one's own argument; to confess to a mistake.
- After the evidence was presented, he had to acknowledge the corn.
"Tread on someone's corns" (Idiom): To offend someone by touching on a sensitive subject.
- Be careful not to tread on his corns when discussing politics.

Variants and Related Words

Corny (adj): Describing something as trite, sentimental, or mawkishly old-fashioned.
- The movie's dialogue was so corny.
Cornbread (n): A type of bread made from cornmeal.
Cornfield (n): A field in which corn is grown.
Cornmeal (n): Meal made from ground dried corn.
Cornstalk (n): The stem of a corn plant.

Synonyms

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Corn" is not commonly used to form standard phrasal verbs. Its verbal uses are typically transitive as shown above.)

Related Idioms

"Carry corn" (Archaic/Informal): To behave well when successful; to remain modest in prosperity.
- He's wealthy now, but he still carries corn.
"Measure another's corn by one's own bushel": To judge others by one's own personal standards.
- You can't measure his corn by your own bushel; everyone has different priorities.

A farmer harvests ripe corn in a sunny field.

Noun

something sentimental or trite
- that movie was pure corn
whiskey distilled from a mash of not less than 80 percent corn
(Great Britain) any of various cereal plants (especially the dominant crop of the region--wheat in Great Britain or oats in Scotland and Ireland)
a hard thickening of the skin (especially on the top or sides of the toes) caused by the pressure of ill-fitting shoes
ears of corn that can be prepared and served for human food
the dried grains or kernels or corn used as animal feed or ground for meal
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times

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