teosinte

te·o·sin·te

noun \ˌtā-ō-ˈsin-tē\

Definition of TEOSINTE

: any of several tall annual or perennial grasses (genus Zea) of Mexico and Central America that have small dark triangular seeds and include two species (Z. mays parviglumis and Z. m. mexicana syn. Z. mexicana) which are closely related to and often considered ancestral to corn

Origin of TEOSINTE

Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl teōcintli, from teōtl god + cintli dried ears of maize

First Known Use: circa 1877