Maize is the proper word for corn, taken from the Indians of the New World who introduced it to European explorers and settlers. In some lands, corn meant wheat; in others it meant barley or oats. Only Americans adopted the word to describe maize.
In many American dialects, the word for corn meant, "that which gives us life." Indeed, corn was the dietary staple of Indians. Aztec and Mayan civilizations were built on a corn economy, as corn provided food, currency, fuel, fodder for animals, silk for smoking, sugar and even fermented beverages.
The word corn goes back to Biblical days, and means any particle of grain or any small pellet of anything