It is the calyx of the flower or glume of corn and grasses, formed of valves embracing the seed. The husks of the small grains, when separated, are called chaff; but in America we apply the word chiefly to the covering of the ears or seeds of maiz, which is never denominated chaff.It is sometimes used in England for the rind, skin or hull of seeds.he act of stripping off husks. In New England, the practice of farmers it to invite their neighbors to assist them in stripping their maiz, in autumnal evenings, and this is called a husking. Definitions from Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828. Previous word: husbandry.