maize

noun

\ ˈmāz

Definition of maize

: 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 Rice, for example, could survive flooding, while native maize cannot. — Time, 3 June 2021 Staples of their community’s culture, from maize to ancient grains like amaranth, were left unharvested. — Eva Reign, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2021 Bits of food in the samples confirmed that the ancient people's diet included maize and beans, typical of early North American farmers. — Andrew Curry, Science | AAAS, 12 May 2021 On these squares of earth, the Aztecs successfully grew crops like maize and amaranth to feed their growing empire. — Megan Zhang, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Apr. 2021 Baby monkeys ate the same color maize as their mothers. — Karen Ravn, Scientific American, 26 Apr. 2013 Hunter Dickinson led the Wolverines (23-5) with 11 points, but nothing came easy for the Big Ten freshman of the year — or anyone else in maize and blue. — Kristen Davis, cleveland, 31 Mar. 2021 Even on Zoom, all the blue and maize is a little much. — Jason Gay, WSJ, 29 Mar. 2021 In Michigan women’s basketball’s maiden voyage into the Sweet 16, these maize and blue athletes masked as Cinderella at the ball were determined to keep dancing. — Andrew Hammond, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'maize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.