corn silk
The fine threads on an ear of corn.
Also called cornsilk.
Updated September 21, 2026
corn silk pronunciation
/KORN silk/
Meaning
Corn silk is those shiny strands sticking out of the husk tip. Garden and patch talk uses it for the real plant part you shuck off before supper. Country kids also dried it and rolled it in newspaper to fake a cigarette, which tasted awful and fooled nobody for long.
How folks use it
- “Pull the corn silk off before you put those ears in the pot.”
- “We got caught smoking corn silk behind the barn.”
Origin and etymology
Plain farm English for the silk-like styles of a corn ear. The name shows up wherever maize is grown. Rural Southern and Appalachian childhood stories often add the homemade smoke made from dried silk, a mischief that runs through many farm memoirs.
Frequently asked questions
Is corn silk only for cooking?
No. You strip it off for eating corn, some folks brew it as tea, and kids used to dry it and try to smoke it.