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Glite Dictionary
soft corn

soft corn

5.6
Corn with kernels that are mostly soft and grind easily into flour
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : maíz blando
  • For breakfast, she enjoyed a dish of scrambled eggs and soft corn served on the side.
  • soft corn tortillas

Examples

  • Many traditional recipes call for soft corn to create a rich, flavorful masa for tamales.

  • "Run to the communal granary and fetch more soft corn."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Soft corn was easier to grind and had a sweeter flavor, but it molded easily.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The chef made vegan tacos using soft corn tortillas filled with fresh vegetables.

Synonyms

Zea mays amylacea
vssoft corn
  • Specialized
9.9

A type of corn with soft starchy kernels used mainly to make flour

is the general label for varieties whose kernels are almost entirely soft starch
flour corn
vssoft corn
  • Specialized
6.3

A type of corn with very soft kernels used to make fine meal

is the broader term for varieties with kernels made mostly of soft starch
squaw corn
vssoft corn
  • Archaic
9.6

A type of corn with soft, starchy kernels

is the neutral technical term for the same type of kernels

How Soft

soft corn
  • Specialized
5.6
dent corn
  • Specialized
7.0
flint corn
  • Specialized
8.1

Surface Forms

soft corn singular
soft corns plural

Morphology

soft + corn

This is a straightforward adjective–noun composition: 'soft' modifies the texture of 'corn', so a learner who knows both words will naturally interpret it as corn with soft kernels. The technical detail about starch composition does not change the basic, directly derivable meaning, and adjective+noun descriptive patterns are cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Soft corn gets its name from the simple fact that its kernels are soft and full of starch, not the hard kind of corn kernels. That soft texture makes it easy to grind into 'flour' and good for foods like 'tortillas', so the name explains how people use it today.