a tall Central American annual grass, Euchlaena mexicana, related to maize and grown for forage in the southern US
Word origin
C19: from Nahuatl teocentli, from teotl god + centli dry ear of corn
teosinte in American English
(ˌtioʊˈsɪnti)
noun
a tall, cornlike fodder grass (Zea mexicana) native to Mexico and Central America, having a tassel and small, hard ears: presumed to be the wild ancestor of maize