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yam

Pronunciation: /jam/
Translate yam | into French | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of yam

noun

  • 1the edible starchy tuber of a climbing plant, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical countries.
  • 2the plant which yields the yam.
    • Genus Dioscorea, family Dioscoreaceae: many species
  • 3North American a sweet potato.

Origin:

late 16th century: from Portuguese inhame or obsolete Spanish iñame, probably of West African origin

yam in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of yam in the US English dictionary

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