Irish potato
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Irish potato
First recorded in 1675–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The exact origin of the Irish potato isn’t tied to a single person or company, but several theories persist.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
He is expected to visit the birthplace of his great-grandfather James Finnegan, who moved to the U.S. the after the Irish potato famine.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
He decided to head to Scranton in Pennsylvania as the devastating Irish potato famine was causing widespread starvation.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2023
But it hardly was considered a meal in itself until the misery of the Irish potato famine made it a necessity.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2023
The neighborhood experienced a dramatic population influx in the 1840s, when the Irish potato famine led to a great migration to America, as tens of thousands of Irish immigrants landed in Boston.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
