Corn (original) (raw)

Corn is, in general, any staple food grain, a fruit of the grass family, Poaceae.

Originally, the term referred to the kernel of any grain, for instance, barleycorn. In various English-speaking countries, the term may now be used for some particular grain, often the most common staple food grain eaten in the country.

• In North America and Australia, corn means maize. Usage as a generic name for grain has been lost. Common segments include:
  • Sweetcorn, a hybridised variety of maize with a high sugar content. (This is the variety in your supermarket.)
  • Field corn, once described as roasting ears. Mostly grown as a feed crop for cattle and other livestock.
  • The term corn may also be used as a shorthand for various food products made from maize such as cornbread, corn meal,'' etc.
• In England, corn means wheat, although the word still often retains its generic meaning there.
• In Scotland, corn means oats.

The term corn also can refer to a horny or hardened place on the human skin, often on the foot. This hardening extends into the subcutaneous layers of the skin, and it can be tender or painful.

For the most part, this page functions as a disambiguation page in that it primarily points to other pages that might otherwise have this name.