teosinte

Where does the word "teosinte" come from? It comes from Nahuatl teocintli, passing through Spanish and French before entering English (1880s).

Teosinte’s story begins in Nahuatl: teocintli meant “god's maize, a wild grass related to corn.” Combined 'teotl' (god) and 'cintli' (dried maize), naming the wild ancestor grass of corn. By 1600s-1800s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as teocinte. Nahuatl 'grain of the gods'. From there it passed into French as téosinte by 1870s. George Beadle's 1930s research showed teosinte is maize's wild ancestor. It reached English by 1880s as teosinte. Borrowed into English botanical and genetic terminology. Today, teosinte means a wild grass native to Mexico and Central America, recognized as the evolutionary ancestor of modern corn.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s teocintli "god's maize, a wild grass related to corn", combined 'teotl' (god) and 'cintli' (dried maize), naming the wild ancestor grass of corn.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s-1800s teocinte "a wild grass, the ancestor of cultivated corn", Nahuatl 'grain of the gods'.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1870s téosinte "a wild grass related to maize", George Beadle's 1930s research showed teosinte is maize's wild ancestor.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1880s teosinte "a wild grass considered the evolutionary ancestor of modern corn", borrowed into English botanical and genetic terminology.