Corn

Corn is, in general, any staple food grain, a fruit of the grass family, Poaceae.

Originally, the term referred to the kernel of any grain, for instance, barleycorn. In various English-speaking countries, the term may now be used for some particular grain, often the most common staple food grain eaten in the country.

• In North America and Australia, corn means maize. Usage as a generic name for grain has been lost. Common segments include:
  • Sweetcorn, a hybridised variety of maize with a high sugar content. (This is the variety in your supermarket.)
  • Field corn, once described as roasting ears. Mostly grown as a feed crop for cattle and other livestock.
  • The term corn may also be used as a shorthand for various food products made from maize such as cornbread, corn meal,'' etc.
• In England, corn means wheat, although the word still often retains its generic meaning there.
• In Scotland, corn means oats.

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The term corn also can refer to a horny or hardened place on the human skin, often on the foot. This hardening extends into the subcutaneous layers of the skin, and it can be tender or painful.