Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Zea \Ze"a\ (z[=e]"[.a]), n. [L., a kind of grain, fr. Gr. ze`a,
   zeia`; cf. Skr. yava barley.] (Bot.)
   A genus of large grasses of which the Indian corn ({Zea
   Mays}) is the only species known. Its origin is not yet
   ascertained. See {Maize}.

Source : WordNet®

Zea mays
     n : tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears:
         widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the
         principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America
         since pre-Columbian times [syn: {corn}, {maize}, {Indian
         corn}]