Maize () (Zea mays L. ssp. mays), known as corn in some countries, is a cereal grain that was domesticated in Mesoamerica and then spread throughout the American continents. Maize spread to the rest of the world after European contact with the Americas in the late 15th century and early 16th century. The term maize derives from the Spanish form (maíz) of the indigenous Taino term for the plant, and is the form most commonly heard in the United Kingdom."Maize." The Oxford English Dictionary, online edition. December 2007. Accessed December 16 2007. [LINK: http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00299980?query_type=word&queryword=maize&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=2&search_id=2K83-vPUJCp-982&hilite=00299980] [1] In the United States, Canada and Australia, the usual term is corn, which originally referred to any grain (and still does in Bri