Maize Meaning
/meɪz/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounCorn; a type of grain of the species Zea mays.
nameA surname, variant of Mayes.
Sentence Examples
France has banned a strain of genetically modified maize.
A shortage of animal feed is also looming after damage to maize crops and grass.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The farmer grew tall ____ in his field to make cornmeal and tortillas for his family.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ is a staple crop in many parts of the world and is used for both human food and animal feed today.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Spanish maíz, from Taíno *mahis, *mahisi, from Proto-Arawak *marikɨ. Cognate with Lokono marisi, Wayuu maiki.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"But alass! these, when they had maize (yt is, Indean corne) they thought it as good as a feast, and wanted not only for 5. days togeather, but some time 2. or 3. months togeather, and neither had bread nor any kind of corne."
— 1623, William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation:
"A fundamental creative act of American man was the development of maize. For it was maize that made possible and sustained the whole Peruvian civilization as well as Mexican and Central American ones. Exactly where it originated is not known, but corn was found in pre-Mayan graves dating to 3000 B.C."
— 1972, Lytle Robinson, chapter 5, in Edgar Cayceʼs Story of the Origin and Destiny of Man, USA: Berkley Publishing Corporation, page 106:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The farmer grew tall ____ in his field to make cornmeal and tortillas for his family.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ is a staple crop in many parts of the world and is used for both human food and animal feed today.