CORN

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German & Old Norse korn grain, Latin granum Date: before 12th century a small hard particle ; grain , a small hard seed, 3. the seeds of a cereal grass and especially of the important cereal crop of a particular region (as wheat in Britain, oats in Scotland and Ireland, and Indian ~ in the New World and Australia), the kernels of sweet ~ served as a vegetable while still soft and milky, a plant that produces ~, ~ whiskey , 6. something (as writing, music, or acting) that is ~y, the quality or state of being ~y ; ~iness, ~ snow , II. transitive verb Date: 1560 to form into grains ; granulate , 2. to preserve or season with salt in grains, to cure or preserve in brine containing preservatives and often seasonings , to feed with ~ , III. noun see: horn Date: 15th century a local hardening and thickening of epidermis (as on a toe)