corn sweat

corn sweat (uncountable)

1. Water drawn in by corn (maize) stalks from the earth and then released into the air via evapotranspiration.
   • 2016 July 18, Angela Fritz, “What in the world is ’corn sweat’ and is it really causing this heat wave?”, in The Washington Post‎^[1], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 4 October 2018:

     Is corn sweat the cause of the coming heat wave? Definitely not. At most, it could make it more uncomfortable for some places.

   • 2024 August 27, Erum Salam, “Corn sweat: crop moisture amplifies humidity and heat in US midwest”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 July 2025:

     The heatwave and the related corn sweat-induced humidity are part of broader extreme weather patterns seen in the US in recent days.

   • 2024 September 13, “Did you know corn can sweat? It's real, and it can make it more humid outside”, in CBC‎^[3], archived from the original on 30 July 2025:

     She noted that while all plants put some level of moisture into the atmosphere, they do not get the same credit as corn sweat. ¶ "I guess you could say corn is a very sweaty plant. It's very efficient at taking that moisture and putting it out to the ground. It requires a lot of moisture to grow and thus it evaporates a lot of moisture off of each stock," Mayesboustead said. ¶ Mayesboustead, who grew up in Michigan, said each stock^{[sic – meaning stalk]} of corn puts a substantial amount of water vapour into the air.