corn

{ , n. [ See Courant. ] A sprightly but somewhat stately dance, now out of fashion. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is harder to dance a corant well, than a jig. Sir W. temple. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dancing a coranto with him upon the heath. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Corned p. pr. & vb. n. Corning. ] 1. To preserve and season with salt in grains; to sprinkle with salt; to cure by salting; now, specifically, to salt slightly in brine or otherwise; as, to corn beef; to corn a tongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To form into small grains; to granulate; as, to corn gunpowder. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To feed with corn or (in Sctland) oats; as, to corn horses. Jamieson. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To render intoxicated; as, ale strong enough to corn one. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Corning house, a house or place where powder is corned or granulated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. corn; akin to OS. korn, D. koren, G., Dan., Sw., & Icel. korn, Goth. kaúrn, L. granum, Russ. zerno. Cf. Grain, Kernel. ] 1. A single seed of certain plants, as wheat, rye, barley, and maize; a grain. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The various farinaceous grains of the cereal grasses used for food, as wheat, rye, barley, maize, oats. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In Scotland, corn is generally restricted to oats, in the United States, to maize, or Indian corn (see sense 3), and in England to wheat. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

3. a tall cereal plant (Zea mays) bearing its seeds as large kernels in multiple rows on the surface of a hard cylindrical ear, the core of which (the cob) is not edible; -- also called Indian corn and, in technical literature, maize. There are several kinds; as, yellow corn, which grows chiefly in the Northern States, and is yellow when ripe; white corn or southern corn, which grows to a great height, and has long white kernels; sweet corn, comprising a number of sweet and tender varieties, grown chiefly at the North, some of which have kernels that wrinkle when ripe and dry; pop corn, any small variety, used for popping. Corn seeds may be cooked while on the ear and eaten directly, or may be stripped from the ear and cooked subsequently. The term Indian corn is often used to refer to a primitive type of corn having kernels of varied color borne on the same cob; it is used for decoration, especially in the fall. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

4. The plants which produce corn, when growing in the field; the stalks and ears, or the stalks, ears, and seeds, after reaping and before thrashing. [ 1913 Webster ]

In one night, ere glimpse of morn,
His shadowy flail had thrashed the corn. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A small, hard particle; a grain. “Corn of sand.” Bp. Hall. “A corn of powder.” Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

Corn ball, a ball of popped corn stuck together with soft candy from molasses or sugar. --
Corn bread, bread made of Indian meal. --
Corn cake, a kind of corn bread; johnny cake; hoecake. --
Corn cockle (Bot.), a weed (Agrostemma Githago syn. Lychnis Githago), having bright flowers, common in grain fields. --
Corn flag (Bot.), a plant of the genus Gladiolus; -- called also sword lily. --
Corn fly. (Zool.) (a) A small fly which, in the larval state, is injurious to grain, living in the stalk, and causing the disease called “gout, ” on account of the swelled joints. The common European species is Chlorops tæniopus. (b) A small fly (Anthomyia ze) whose larva or maggot destroys seed corn after it has been planted. --
Corn fritter, a fritter having green Indian corn mixed through its batter. [ U. S. ] --
Corn laws, laws regulating trade in corn, especially those in force in Great Britain till 1846, prohibiting the importation of foreign grain for home consumption, except when the price rose above a certain rate. --
Corn marigold. (Bot.) See under Marigold. --
Corn oyster, a fritter containing grated green Indian corn and butter, the combined taste resembling that of oysters. [ U.S. ] --
Corn parsley (Bot.), a plant of the parsley genus (Petroselinum segetum), a weed in parts of Europe and Asia. --
Corn popper, a utensil used in popping corn. --
Corn poppy (Bot.), the red poppy (Papaver Rhœas), common in European cornfields; -- also called corn rose. --
Corn rent, rent paid in corn. --
Corn rose. See Corn poppy. --
Corn salad (Bot.), a name given to several species of Valerianella, annual herbs sometimes used for salad. Valerianella olitoria is also called lamb's lettuce. --
Corn stone, red limestone. [ Prov. Eng. ] --
Corn violet (Bot.), a species of Campanula. --
Corn weevil. (Zool.) (a) A small weevil which causes great injury to grain. (b) In America, a weevil (Sphenophorus zeæ) which attacks the stalk of maize near the root, often doing great damage. See Grain weevil, under Weevil. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. cornu horn: cf. F. corne horn, hornlike excrescence. See Horn. ] A thickening of the epidermis at some point, esp. on the toes, by friction or pressure. It is usually painful and troublesome. [ 1913 Webster ]

Welcome, gentlemen! Ladies that have their toes
Unplagued with corns, will have a bout with you. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The substance of a corn usually resembles horn, but where moisture is present, as between the toes, it is white and sodden, and is called a soft corn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a natural family of trees including the genera Aucuba; Cornus; Corokia; Curtisia; Griselinia; and Helwingia.
Syn. -- family Cornaceae, dogwood family. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ OF., horn-blowing, tax on horned cattle, fr. F. corne a horn, L. cornu. ] (Law) An ancient tenure of land, which obliged the tenant to give notice of an invasion by blowing a horn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A cornemuse. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a corn ball. [ PJC ]

2. a person who is corny; one who is overly sentimental. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

3. an unsophisticated person; a country bumpkin. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

a. same as corny{ 5 }. [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.) A weed that binds stalks of corn, as Convolvulus arvensis, Polygonum Convolvulus. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]