teosinte

noun

te·​o·​sin·​te ˌtā-ō-ˈsin-tē 

: any of several tall annual or perennial grasses (genus Zea) of Mexico and Central America that have small dark triangular seeds and include two species (Z. mays parviglumis and Z. m. mexicana synonym Z. mexicana) which are closely related to and often considered ancestral to corn

Examples of teosinte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Early farmers there domesticated maize from a kind of grass called teosinte. —Discover Magazine, 2 July 2024

Modern corn resembles teosinte, its wild ancestor, the way a teacup Chihuahua resembles a gray wolf. —Andrew Curry, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2013

After all, maize began evolving there from a grass called teosinte some 9,000 years ago, eventually becoming a staple consumed around the world. —Barbara Fraser, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2018

Silky Cheyenne River bison is topped with dollops of duck egg aioli, turnip crisps, dandelion wild rice and aronia berry and served with teosinte (a precursor to corn) crackers. —Nicole Hvidsten, Star Tribune, 16 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl teōcintli, from teōtl god + cintli dried ears of maize

First Known Use

circa 1877, in the meaning defined above