French word

maïs

Pronunciation

IPA/mais/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncorn

Example

J'aime le maïs grillé.

I like grilled corn.

Illustration for maïs (corn)

More examples

Je mets du maïs en conserve dans la salade.

I put canned corn in the salad.

Core concept

A sturdy green plant whose central cob is covered with rows of sweet grains used fresh, preserved, or processed.

Common phrases

  • maïs en conserve

    canned corn

  • épi de maïs

    ear of corn

  • maïs grillé

    grilled corn

Similar words

pop-corn: A snack made from special corn kernels that expand and burst when heated.
céréale: A broad class of grains used as ingredients in bread and breakfast cereals.

Definition in French

Plante cultivée (Zea mays) dont on consomme les grains, et le nom de ces grains, consommés frais, en conserve ou transformés.

Word origin

French maïs entered through Spanish maíz from Taíno mahís, reflecting the crop's transmission from the Americas to Europe.

Usage tips

  • Maïs is masculine, so standard phrases include le maïs and du maïs, while mais without a trema is the conjunction "but".

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