maize

noun

ˈmāz 

: a tall annual cereal grass (Zea mays) originally domesticated in Mexico and widely grown for its large elongated ears of starchy seeds : corn entry 1 sense 4

Along with maize, their main food, the ancient Maya planted squash, beans, peppers, cacao, and other plants, all of which they used for food or medicinal purposes.

—Evelyn Dana Feld

But evidence has been elusive, because the standard macrofossils—say, squash rinds or maize kernels—quickly rot in the sultry climate.

—Kathryn Brown

Examples of maize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea ports certainly accelerated this trend by disrupting wheat, sunflower oil, maize, and fertilizer exports, driving global food prices up 18 percent just from January to March 2022. —Christopher B. Barrett, Foreign Affairs, 25 July 2022

Farmers grew maize, beans, cassava and sweet potatoes. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2024

From that perspective, precolonial North America, where farming had begun rather late and maize had been an even later import, was not obviously lagging behind. —Walter Scheidel, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022

While men in the community were small farmers growing wheat and maize, the women depended heavily on these forests. —Anupama Chandrasekaran, NPR, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish maíz, from Taino mahiz

First Known Use

circa 1544, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

maize

noun

ˈmāz 

1

: corn entry 1 sense 1

2

corn entry 1 sense 2

3

corn entry 1 sense 3