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shuck

shuck

1 7.4
The dry outer covering of seeds that you remove before eating corn
  • noun
  • /ʃʌk/
: hoja de la mazorca
  • Clean the shucks off.
  • corn shucks

Examples

  • The court ruled that the plaintiff could recover only the market value of the shucks.

    Academic text (2018)
  • And they appeared to be rising up from fields of dried corn shucks.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Flossie had taken an ear of corn and pulled the shuck off it, being careful to leave the silk tassel in place.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The farmer gathered the corn shucks to use as mulch in his garden.

  • After the threshing process, the shucks were collected and stored for composting.

  • During the harvest, the field was covered in dried shucks left behind by the corn stalks.

Synonyms

husk
vsshuck
23 3.2

The dry outer covering of a seed or grain that you remove before you eat it

is the same concept but also includes small plant pieces separated during processing
stubble
vsshuck
  • Specialized
3 5.0

Short dry stalks and husks left after the harvest

includes these leftover fragments but also the main dry outer coverings
chaff
vsshuck
1 8.6

The dry outer parts of grain removed when the seeds are cleaned

focuses more broadly on outer coverings and fragments not only threshing leftovers
dried husk
vsshuck
1 4.0

The dry outer covering of a seed or fruit that you remove before eating

covers both dry shells and other small plant pieces separated after processing
stalk
vsshuck
  • Specialized
1 8.9

The dry leftover stems and leaves after a crop is harvested

is about outer coverings and loose bits rather than whole supporting stems

Idioms

2 9.9

To speak in a dishonest or unclear way to avoid answering

Surface Forms

shuck singular
shucks plural

Etymology

Shuck as a noun names the thing you 'shuck' off, the outer 'coat' or husk left behind. That's why a shuck is the husk or the pile of husks you remove from seeds or corn.