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

Lendeborg today feels like an overnight sensation, bursting on the scene in his maize-and-blue out of nowhere. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026

Early heavy rains in East Africa have left farmers with about a week of dry weather to prepare fields and apply fertilizer, said Stephen Muchiri, a Kenya maize farmer and CEO of the Eastern African Farmers Federation, which represents 25 million smallholders. —ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026

Three grasses—rice, maize, and wheat—account for 90 percent of this superabundance, supplying us with two thirds of food calories. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

Agriculture is the backbone of many ASEAN economies like Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, where smallholder farms of rice, maize, and oil palm provide employment and food security. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish maíz, from Taino mahiz

First Known Use

circa 1544, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for maize

• baize
• bays
• blase
• blaze
• braes
• braze
• chaise
• claes
• clays
• craze
• dais
• days

Kids Definition

maize

noun

ˈmāz 

1

: corn entry 1 sense 1

2

corn entry 1 sense 2

3

corn entry 1 sense 3