potato

 
Pronunciation: /pəˈteɪtəʊ/

noun (plural potatoes)

  • 1a starchy plant tuber which is one of the most important food crops, cooked and eaten as a vegetable: roast potatoes [mass noun]: mashed potato
  • 2the plant of the nightshade family which produces potatoes on underground runners.
    • Solanum tuberosum, family Solanaceae. It was first cultivated in the Andes about 1,800 years ago and was introduced to Europe in circa 1570
  • 3British informal a large hole in a sock or stocking, especially one in the heel.

Origin:

mid 16th century: from Spanish patata, variant of Taino batata 'sweet potato'. The English word originally denoted the sweet potato and gained its current sense in the late 16th century

Spelling help

The plural of potato is made by adding -es: potatoes.