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cocoyam

British  
/ ˈkəʊkəʊˌjæm /

noun

  1. either of two food plants of West Africa, the taro or the yantia, both of which have edible underground stems

  2. the underground stem of either of these plants

"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

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.

See Examples For:

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

A vibrantly green cocoyam plant was growing on the spot.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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

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

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