Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “corn” come from?

Corn comes from Middle English corn, from Old French corne, from Latin cornu meaning horn or hard projection, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂-.

corn (English): The main cereal plant grown for its grain in a...

Definitions

  1. The main cereal plant grown for its grain in a...

Ancestry of “corn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcornAny plant that bears grain, especially wheat; a...
2Old Englishcorncorn, a grain or seed; a cornlike pimple, a corn...
3Proto-West Germanickorncorn, grain, cereal
4Proto-Germanickurnącorn, grain, cereal
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵr̥h₂nómgrain
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵr̥h₂nósmatured, grown old
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature

Words derived from “corn”

  • popcorn
  • cornfield
  • cornmeal
  • cornstarch
  • corny
  • cornflower
  • cornflour
  • cornstalk
  • corncrake
  • cornball
  • barleycorn
  • broomcorn
  • cornhusk
  • conacre
  • cornflake
  • cornpone
  • seedcorn
  • cornsilk
  • cornrow
  • cornfed
  • cornrowed
  • corniness
  • corncake
  • cornmill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →