"Corn" in medieval Europe

[Tiglath]

In everyday use 'corn' means 'maize' in England primarily, rather than generic for grain.

: What exactly is the grain, chroniclers are referring to when they state
: that "corn" was ordered or shipped for the army. Certainly it is not the
: corn that we in the US are familiar with. I was under the impression
: that, that type of corn was utilized only after the colonization of the N.
: American continent? What type of CORN are these chroniclers talking
: about then?
: Deane
You are right. "Corn" is the generic England-English word for
"grain". It refers to wheat, rye, etc.
The stuff found in the New World is, technically, maize. But
the heads, especially the immature ones, somewhat resemble
those of wheat. Thus it too was referred to as "corn". The
name stuck, and in the U.S. the word "corn" refers to maize.
As someone once said, England and America are two countries
separated by a common language.

[Bill]

Post by Tiglath
In everyday use 'corn' means 'maize' in England primarily, rather than generic for grain.

Only in supermarkets

It remains a generic term for a grain type crop.

[maggie jones]

What exactly is the grain, chroniclers are referring to when they state
that "corn" was ordered or shipped for the army. Certainly it is not the
corn that we in the US are familiar with. I was under the impression
that, that type of corn was utilized only after the colonization of the N.
American continent? What type of CORN are these chroniclers talking
about then?
Deane
--
Deane

"Corn" was originally (still is in Britain, maybe) a general term for cereal
grains. i would guess it usually meant barley, but could refer to wheat,
rye, etc. Maize (the type of corn we in the US are familiar with) was
originally called "Indian corn" referring to American Indians, that is.
There is a lively debate in sci.archeology concerning the possibility of
maize being grown in the Indian subcontinent before, well, before 1492,
let's say.
AMICVS CONSTANTINI
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