CategoryArchaic Word / Agricultural Term
Modern Equivalentgrain; cereal crop.
KJV Word TypeNoun / food and agriculture term
DefinitionGrain in general, such as wheat or barley, rather than specifically modern American maize.
Key Verses"And Pharaoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed." (Genesis 41:1-2); "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." (John 12:24)
KJV Usage NoteIn KJV-era English, “corn” commonly means grain in general, such as wheat or barley, rather than specifically maize.
Common MisunderstandingIt does not always mean modern American corn; in many KJV contexts it means grain broadly.
EtymologyFrom Old English corn ("grain, seed").