noun

yam

noun

A starchy edible root grown as a staple food in tropical regions.

"Boiled yam is a common side dish in West African cooking."

In American usage, a sweet potato.

"Grandma always serves candied yams at Thanksgiving."

How to Use Yam

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA starchy root vegetable, though what counts as a "yam" differs — true yams are a different plant from the sweet potatoes Americans often call yams.

Common mistake

In the US, "yam" is often used loosely for sweet potato; true yams (genus Dioscorea) are a different, starchier vegetable more common in African and Caribbean cooking.

Easily confused with

sweet potato

Word Forms

yammed past tense, yammed past tense, yams plural, yams plural, Yams plural, yams singular, yams singular

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Can you complete this real example?

Boiled _____ is a common side dish in West African cooking.

Rhymes for yam

Shyam Maryam

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