yam en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /jɛm/ (New-Zealand)
- /jam/ (British, Northern-England, Scotland, Southern, Standard, Wales)
- yăm
- [jeəm] ~ [jɛəm] General American, æ-raising
- /jæːm/ (Australia)
- [jeːm] ~ [jɛːm] Australia, æ-raising
- /jæm/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
Etymology
Borrowed from Portuguese inhame and Spanish ñame, likely from Wolof ñàmbi (“cassava”) or a related word. The term was spelled yam as early as 1657.
Meanings
- Any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated.
-
The edible, starchy, tuberous root of that plant, a tropical staple food.
Inwardly Okonkwo knew that the boys were still too young to understand fully the difficult art of preparing seed-yams. But he thought that one could not begin too early. Yam stood for manliness, and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed.
1958 June 17, Chinua Achebe, chapter 4, in Things Fall Apart, New York, N.Y.: Astor-Honor, published 1959, →OCLC, part 1, page 34:
- (US) A sweet potato; a tuber from the species Ipomoea batatas.
- (Scotland) A potato.
- (New-Zealand) An oca; a tuber from the species Oxalis tuberosa.
- (Malaysia, Singapore) Taro.
- An orange-brown colour, like the flesh of the yam.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| yams | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
yamberry · fiveleaf yam · Foochow yam · Japanese yam · common yam · fourleaf yam · mountain yam · negro yam · yampee · true yam · intoxicating yam · New Zealand yam · parsnip yam · yam cake · Japanese mountain yam · elephant yam · greater yam · seven-lobed yam · Chinese yam · potato yam · purple yam · yellow yam · yam bean · Okinawan yam · winged yam · aerial yam · yamless · yam daisy · elephant foot yam · Indian three-leaf yam · bitter yam · cheeky yam · lesser yam · cush-cush yam · Mexican yam · toco for yam · pounded yam · Mexican yam bean · white yam · water yam · yam stick · yamlike · air yam · jewel yam · tropical yam · afoo yam · garnet yam · betel yam · Indian yam · thorny yam · wild yam
Translations (127)
kg mbala (any Dioscorea vine) · akl ubi (any Dioscorea vine) · da yams (any Dioscorea vine) · bg ямс (its edible root) · sw kiazi kikuu (any Dioscorea vine) · hu jam (its edible root) · mi ngangarangi (its edible root) · ml കാച്ചിൽ (any Dioscorea vine) · pl ignam (any Dioscorea vine) · es ñamera (any Dioscorea vine) · ca nyam (any Dioscorea vine) · kmr بنەریا ھیندی (any Dioscorea vine) · pdt Jams (its edible root) · eo ignamo (any Dioscorea vine) · ru ямс (any Dioscorea vine) · nl jam (any Dioscorea vine) · hi रतालू (its edible root) · tr tatlı patates (any Dioscorea vine) · pl jam (its edible root) · tr yam (its edible root) · nn jams (any Dioscorea vine) · de Yamswurzel (any Dioscorea vine) · th สกุลกลอย (any Dioscorea vine) · nv nahooyéí (its edible root) · fr igname (any Dioscorea vine) · mi uhi (its edible root) · nl yamplant (any Dioscorea vine) · ko 마 (any Dioscorea vine) · haw uhi (any Dioscorea vine) · es yame (its edible root) · yo iṣu (its edible root) · my ပီလောပီနံ (any Dioscorea vine) · wyi barrm (its edible root) · bol doya (any Dioscorea vine) · ms keladi (its edible root) · hu jam (any Dioscorea vine) · kk тәтті картоп (any Dioscorea vine) · pt inhame (its edible root) · bg ямс (any Dioscorea vine) · mi uwhi (its edible root) · th ฮ่วยซัว (its edible root) · mi uhi (any Dioscorea vine) · it igname (any Dioscorea vine) · clt bie (its edible root) · de Yams (any Dioscorea vine) · hu jamsz (any Dioscorea vine) · nl yamswortel (its edible root) · mos busa (any Dioscorea vine) · ja 自然薯 (any Dioscorea vine) · mos busri (any Dioscorea vine) · ht yanm (any Dioscorea vine) · es ñame (any Dioscorea vine) · nup eci (any Dioscorea vine) · ro ignamă (any Dioscorea vine) · ga ionam (its edible root) · pl pochrzyn (any Dioscorea vine) · pl jam (any Dioscorea vine) · hu jamszgyökér (its edible root) · ms ubi (any Dioscorea vine) · mg oviala (any Dioscorea vine) · hi आलू (any Dioscorea vine) · hi रतालू (any Dioscorea vine) · cmn 山藥 /山药 (any Dioscorea vine) · meu maho (its edible root) · jv téla rambat (any Dioscorea vine) · ml കാച്ചിൽ (its edible root) · hu jamgyökér (its edible root) · ane ku (any Dioscorea vine) · id ubi (any Dioscorea vine) · kai dauya (any Dioscorea vine) · pt inhame (any Dioscorea vine) · kmr سەڤەتالکا ھیندی (any Dioscorea vine) · tl tugi (any Dioscorea vine) · ha doya (any Dioscorea vine) · mos busa (any Dioscorea vine) · cy iam (any Dioscorea vine) · tg ям (any Dioscorea vine) · yo iṣu (any Dioscorea vine) · pl ignam (its edible root) · yo iyán (any Dioscorea vine) · gur busre (any Dioscorea vine) · th มันเสา (its edible root) · uz shirin kartoshka (any Dioscorea vine) · sv jams (any Dioscorea vine) · ja 山芋 (any Dioscorea vine) · dtp guol (its edible root) · sw nduma (any Dioscorea vine) · cs jam (any Dioscorea vine) · meu maho (any Dioscorea vine) · gur busa (any Dioscorea vine) · fi jamssi (any Dioscorea vine) · th มัน (any Dioscorea vine) · hu jamsz (its edible root) · vi sắn dây (its edible root) · io inyamo (any Dioscorea vine) · ha aduru (any Dioscorea vine) · lo ເຜີ່ມ (any Dioscorea vine) · es ñame (its edible root) · nl jam (its edible root) · mi uwhi (any Dioscorea vine) · hi आलू (its edible root) · sw nduma (its edible root) · hy դիոսկոր (any Dioscorea vine) · aji mëu (any Dioscorea vine) · mn йам (any Dioscorea vine) · ig ji (its edible root) · ja ヤマノイモ (any Dioscorea vine) · ka იამსი (any Dioscorea vine) · lt dioskorėjos (any Dioscorea vine) · nl yam (any Dioscorea vine) · nl yamswortel (any Dioscorea vine) · fi jamssi (its edible root) · luy enduma (any Dioscorea vine) · msk obi (any Dioscorea vine) · kcg a̱cyi (any Dioscorea vine) · nmb pai (its edible root) · fj uvi (any Dioscorea vine) · mbb uvi (any Dioscorea vine) · njo-jgl shi (its edible root) · vi khoai (any Dioscorea vine) · es ame (its edible root) · as কাঠ আলু (any Dioscorea vine) · es ñangate (its edible root) · ar يَام (any Dioscorea vine) · nl yam (its edible root) · nb jams (any Dioscorea vine) · lv dioskorėja (any Dioscorea vine)