taro
Americannoun
plural
taros-
a plant, Colocasia esculenta, of the arum family, cultivated for its edible tuber: widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions, including the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, India, and a number of Asian and African nations.
-
the edible tuber of Colocasia esculenta, a widely distributed tropical and subtropical plant of the arum family.
noun
-
an aroid plant, Colocasia esculenta, cultivated in the tropics for its large edible rootstock
-
the rootstock of this plant
Etymology
Origin of taro
Borrowed into English from Polynesian around 1770–80
Compare meaning
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Vocabulary lists containing taro
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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Pacific Islands - Introductory
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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.
“She noticed that a lot of locals were always asking her for ingredients like sweet potatoes and taro, so she started selling fruits and expanded to vegetables,” said Derek Luu, Tran’s son.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2025
The restaurant is famous for its taro ball desserts, grass jelly and shaved ice - treats not normally found on the menu in Yorkshire, but a popular treat for many in Taiwan and surrounding countries.
From BBC • Sep. 27, 2024
“It hurts,” said Foster Ampong, 65, who has family members who lost homes in Lahaina and spends much of his time in Olowalu helping other relatives farm taro.
From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024
A Lahaina stream sustains Keʻeaumoku Kapu’s taro patches on his ancestral lands deep in Kauaula Valley in the mountains above Lahaina.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2023
Plus, Tūtū wants us to steam and pound the taro we plan on keeping, before selling the rest to a family of poi pounders in Waialua.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
