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cornstalk

cornstalk

3 2.7
The main stem of a corn plant that holds the leaves and ears
  • noun
  • /ˈkɔrnˌstɔk/
  • US
translation icon : tallo de maíz
  • The tall cornstalk swayed gently in the breeze under the warm summer sun.
  • dry cornstalks
  • rows of cornstalks
  • bales of cornstalks

And he said, and here is a picture of the wizard fungal old cornstalk the poet is talking about.

Examples

  • The headlights showed the neat rows of cornstalk stubble angling off from the wagon track.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • My sister, in the front with the driver, leaned out the window and counted the cornstalks.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • It's near that cute little hotel with the cornstalk fence.

  • There was a farm on the left and beyond the dead cornstalks.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I helped her back on with the bundle of cornstalks.

    Academic text (2003)
  • The University of Minnesota plans to use biomass such as cornstalks, wood, or other plant materials for energy.

    Academic text (2006)
  • In the near future, cornstalks will feed a gasifier system for heating and cooling.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The amount of cornstalks left on the surface after harvest can cause the frost layer to be shallower.

    Academic text (1994)
  • To my right was a rusty barbed wire fence and a muddy field full of cornstalks.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • All green plants and their derivatives—cornstalks, cardboard, manure, sawdust, the organic components of municipal garbage—contain lignocellulose.

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

stalk
vscornstalk
35 1.8

The long thin main stem that supports a plant's flower or leaf

is limited to one species and supports ears and leaves
corn stalk
vscornstalk
  • US
2 1.6

A tall stem that holds the leaves and ears of a corn plant

has identical meaning but is written as a single word rather than two words

Surface Forms

cornstalk singular
cornstalks plural

Morphology

cornstalk = corn + stalk (transparent) = corn + stalk

Meaning is directly the compound of 'corn' and 'stalk' referring to the plant's stem, which is obvious to learners who know both words.

Etymology

Cornstalk comes from two simple parts, corn and stalk, and stalk means the 'stem' or main support of a plant. So a cornstalk is the stem that holds the leaves and the ear of a corn plant.