Why is corn called corn and not maize ? Well , let ’s take a journeying back in time to the early 1600s when English settlers first encountered this captivating harvest . At that time , the word “ maize ” was not yet usual in England . Instead , the settlers concern to it as “ Indian corn ” , a full term that finally got shortened to just “ clavus ” . But why did they call it “ Amerind Indian corn ” in the first home ?
The Word of God “ Zea mays ” actually has its rootage in the Arawak linguistic process of Haiti , where it was called “ mahiz ” . When the Spanish encountered this harvest during their explorations , they get it back to Europe and named it “ maiz ” or “ mahiz ” . As the English settler interact with the Native Americans , they learned about this significant craw and adopted the Spanish word “ maiz ” to refer to it .
However , the full term “ lemon ” did not get on in England as quickly as it did in other parts of Europe . Instead , the English settler in North America continued to employ the term “ Indian corn ” to distinguish it from the traditional English grain crops like pale yellow and barley . This term emphasized the fact that corn was a staple intellectual nourishment of the Native American tribes they encountered .
Over meter , the term “ Amerind corn whisky ” became merely “ clavus ” in everyday conversation . This phylogenesis in terminology can be attributed to the restroom of using a shorter Scripture and the fact that “ corn whiskey ” had become widely recognized as referring to this particular crop . The settlers detect it easy to say and write “ Zea mays ” or else of “ Indian corn ” or “ maize ” .
It is important to observe that in modern usage , the word “ clavus ” can be perplexing since it is used to refer to different crops in different part of the world . In North America , “ Indian corn ” typically refers to what the rest of the world calls “ lemon ” . In other country , “ corn ” may refer to other grain crops such as wheat or barleycorn . This regional variation in terminology adds to the complexity of understanding why corn is called corn and not maize .
The full term “ corn ” originated from the English settler ’ acceptation of the Spanish word “ maiz ” and their use of “ Indian edible corn ” to distinguish it from other grain crops . Over clip , “ corn ” became the commonly used terminus in English - speaking regions , while “ maize ” became more widely recognized in other parts of the macrocosm . The evolution of language and regional variations in language have contribute to the different names used for this of import crop .
Caroline Bates
