yam
/jæm/
noun
Origin
Wolof
nyami — to eat
Overview
Meaning Now
- A starchy, tuberous root vegetable of the genus Dioscorea, widely cultivated in tropical regions.
- In North America, a popular term for certain varieties of the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) with orange, moist flesh.
Language path
Wolof → Portuguese → English
Earliest form
yam
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The word reached the English language during the era of transatlantic expansion. The term was originally applied to various tubers in Africa. In the United States, enslaved people from West Africa identified the familiar sweet potato with the 'yam' of their homelands, cementing the colloquial nomenclature used today.
Evolution
- 16th century
inhame
“edible root”
Portuguese adaptation from West African sources.
- 17th century
yam
“edible root”
Adopted into English from Portuguese or directly from West African trade contact.
Connections
Word parts
yam
root
root vegetable
Related across languages
Portuguese
inhame
yam
Spanish
ñame
yam
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Related to yam
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.