batata

[ buh-tah-tuh; Spanish bah-tah-tah ]

/ bəˈtɑ tə; Spanish bɑˈtɑ tɑ /

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noun

a type of tropical sweet potato, Batatas edulis, somewhat dry and delicate in flavor.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Also called bo·ni·a·to

[boh-nee-ah-toh; Spanish baw-nyah-taw] /ˌboʊ niˈɑ toʊ; Spanish bɔˈnyɑ tɔ/ .

Origin of batata

First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish and Portuguese , from Taíno: “sweet potato”; cf. potato

Words nearby batata

bat an eye, Batangas, Batan Islands, batard, bat around, batata, Batavia, Batavian, bat boy, batch, Bat Chayil

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use batata in a sentence

When Batata saw me making preparations for departure, he warmly pressed me to stay to breakfast.
The Purple Land|W. H. Hudson
I answered that I had been surprised at first, but had ceased to believe that she was a child of Batata's, or of any of his kin.
The Purple Land|W. H. Hudson
In some parts of America the Batata, next to maize, forms the principal diet of the poorer classes.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Their food consists principally of batata, besides some gabi (caladium).
The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes|Toms de Comyn

The bread of the country is made from a root that looks like the batata, the stalk of which is like alder.
Original Narratives of Early American History|Vaca and Others

British Dictionary definitions for batata

batata

/ (bəˈtɑːtə) /

noun

another name for sweet potato

Word Origin for batata

C16: from Spanish, from Taino

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012