yam

American  

[yam] / jæm /

noun

• yams
  plural

1. the starchy, tuberous root of any of various climbing vines of the genus Dioscorea, cultivated for food in warm regions.

2. any of these plants.

3. the sweet potato.

4. Scot. potato.

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yam British  

/ jæm /

noun

1. any of various twining plants of the genus Dioscorea, of tropical and subtropical regions, cultivated for their edible tubers: family Dioscoreaceae

2. the starchy tuber of any of these plants, which is eaten as a vegetable

3. any of certain large varieties of sweet potato

4. a former Scot name for the (common) potato

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• yams
  plural

Etymology

Origin of yam

First recorded in 1580–90; compare Gullah nyam, Jamaican English nyaams, Sranan jamsi, from sources in one or more West African languages (compare Wolof nyam (nyam), Fulani nyami “to eat,” Twi εnãm “flesh”); earlier English forms, from Portuguese inhame or Spanish (i)ñame

Explanation

A yam is a starchy vegetable that grows underground. Yams are similar to potatoes — they can be baked, boiled, mashed, grated, or cut into chunks. In North America, a yam is the same thing as a sweet potato, although in most parts of the world these words refer to two completely different vegetables. Yams have flesh that ranges in color from white to deep orange and tastes slightly sweet. The word yam started as igname, from the Portuguese inhame, from a West African source.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yam yams

Mountain yam, bamboo pith and shoots, lotus seeds and gorgon fruit, which Yin says “looks like chickpeas, and tastes like tapioca,” all appear on his menu, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

Mercy Diebiru-Ojo's ambitions are straightforward -- increase Nigerian yam and cassava yields by 500 percent, fight hunger and raise her country's position on the agricultural value chain from a mere grower to a processor.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025

The Ogbuagu feasted on traditional dishes such as goat meat pepper soup, nsala soup - made from catfish - pounded yam and palm wine.

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025

And at Chishuru, whose prix fixe dinner menu is priced at £95, egusi — a seed used in soup, usually served with pounded yam — flavors an ice cream accompanying a meringue sponge.

From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2024

There were slices of boiled yam, like lunch, but then a plate of fried eggs, too, more like breakfast.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In “The Caribbean Cookbook,” the starch is either rice or “ground provisions,” the Anglophone term for yams, sweet potatoes, plantains, breadfruit and other staples.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The first steps, at least, are already underway for the 44-year-old agronomist, who was awarded this year's prestigious Africa Food Prize for her research on yams and cassava, both major food staples in Africa.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025

I ordered my usual: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, candied yams and a biscuit slathered in grape jelly butter.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2025

She spends her mornings scouring the produce warehouses in nearby downtown for the oranges, mangoes, mushrooms, yams, garlic and greens her customers rely on to meet their daily grocery needs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

The main road was crowded; women with boxes on their heads and babies tied to their backs, barefoot children carrying bundles of clothes or yams or boxes, men dragging bicycles.

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