elephant's-foot

[el-uh-fuhnts-foot]

noun

plural

elephant's-foots 

1. a climbing vine, Dioscorea elephantipes, of southern Africa, having a massive, edible, yamlike tuber.

elephant's-foot

noun

1. a monocotyledonous plant, Testudinaria elephantipes, of southern Africa, with a very large starchy tuberous stem, covered in corky scales: family Dioscoreaceae

Word History and Origins

Origin of elephant's-foot¹

First recorded in 1810–20