yam

American  

[yam] / jæm /

noun

• yams
  plural

1. the starchy, tuberous root of any of various climbing vines of the genus Dioscorea, cultivated for food in warm regions.

2. any of these plants.

3. the sweet potato.

4. Scot. potato.

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yam British  

/ jæm /

noun

1. any of various twining plants of the genus Dioscorea, of tropical and subtropical regions, cultivated for their edible tubers: family Dioscoreaceae

2. the starchy tuber of any of these plants, which is eaten as a vegetable

3. any of certain large varieties of sweet potato

4. a former Scot name for the (common) potato

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• yams
  plural

Etymology

Origin of yam

First recorded in 1580–90; compare Gullah nyam, Jamaican English nyaams, Sranan jamsi, from sources in one or more West African languages (compare Wolof nyam (nyam), Fulani nyami “to eat,” Twi εnãm “flesh”); earlier English forms, from Portuguese inhame or Spanish (i)ñame

Explanation

A yam is a starchy vegetable that grows underground. Yams are similar to potatoes — they can be baked, boiled, mashed, grated, or cut into chunks. In North America, a yam is the same thing as a sweet potato, although in most parts of the world these words refer to two completely different vegetables. Yams have flesh that ranges in color from white to deep orange and tastes slightly sweet. The word yam started as igname, from the Portuguese inhame, from a West African source.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yam yams

Mountain yam, bamboo pith and shoots, lotus seeds and gorgon fruit, which Yin says “looks like chickpeas, and tastes like tapioca,” all appear on his menu, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

Mercy Diebiru-Ojo's ambitions are straightforward -- increase Nigerian yam and cassava yields by 500 percent, fight hunger and raise her country's position on the agricultural value chain from a mere grower to a processor.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025

And at Chishuru, whose prix fixe dinner menu is priced at £95, egusi — a seed used in soup, usually served with pounded yam — flavors an ice cream accompanying a meringue sponge.

From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2024

Fast forward to the present day, and a sharply suited Mark, played by Skepta, is eating Nigerian dinner staples of pounded yam and Egusi soup.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2024

The yam leaves continued to nod long after the train had gone, as though they agreed with it entirely and had no doubts at all.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Issa was just 6 years old then, his family raising goats and farming yams in Perma, 270 miles north of Cotonou, the country’s biggest city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

The store was on Rye Lane, a lively high street where Caribbean grocers stack yams next to beauty and phone repair shops.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025

The result -- 30 tonnes of yams and cassava per hectare, compared to the typical five.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025

She spends her mornings scouring the produce warehouses in nearby downtown for the oranges, mangoes, mushrooms, yams, garlic and greens her customers rely on to meet their daily grocery needs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

Their roots could be roasted like yams or even eaten raw if she was really hungry.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer