*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of maize

Borrowed from Spanish maíz, from Taíno *mahis, *mahisi, from Proto-Arawak *marikɨ. Cognate with Lokono marisi, Wayuu maiki.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Corn; a type of grain of the species Zea mays.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Spanish maíz, from Taíno *mahis, *mahisi, from Proto-Arawak *marikɨ. Cognate with Lokono marisi, Wayuu maiki.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "maíz"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish maíz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tnq",
        "3": "*mahis"
      },
      "expansion": "Taíno *mahis"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "awd-pro",
        "3": "*marikɨ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Arawak *marikɨ"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "arw",
        "2": "marisi"
      },
      "expansion": "Lokono marisi"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "guc",
        "2": "maiki"
      },
      "expansion": "Wayuu maiki"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "maíz",
      "maíz#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "*mahis",
      "Reconstruction:Taíno/mahis"
    ],
    [
      "*mahisi",
      "Reconstruction:Taíno/mahisi"
    ],
    [
      "*marikɨ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Arawak/marikɨ"
    ],
    [
      "marisi",
      "marisi#Lokono"
    ],
    [
      "maiki",
      "maiki#Wayuu"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Corn; a type of grain of the species Zea mays."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "a80dedded17e93fd16962965b5d27d0cbee01026950668d2f923e7c9bdd02080",
      "rawRecordSha256": "145a9621f3e237b3346a6089fba86eede4eb95665881b18f5ae07d302649c5ac",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 160065
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for maize →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWFpemU