cocoyam
Britishnoun
-
either of two food plants of West Africa, the taro or the yantia, both of which have edible underground stems
-
the underground stem of either of these plants
Etymology
Origin of cocoyam
C20: from cocoa + yam
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.
Her sister-in-law intervened and managed to save a small portion of land where Ujah now cultivates cocoyam, a root vegetable.
From Seattle Times • May 10, 2022
I don't blame you because something affected a cocoyam and made it scream out meow-meow, like a cat, while being boiled on a fire.
From The Guardian • Mar. 16, 2013
It happened everywhere now, farms raided at night, raided of corn so tender they had not yet formed kernels and yams so young they were barely the size of a cocoyam.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The cocoyam leaves were massive, like green elephant ears.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
I watched her pound the cocoyams, dipping the pestle often into the bowl of water so the cocoyam wouldn’t stick too much to it.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
