noun
yam
A sweet potato, especially in American cooking.
A baked yam makes a sweet, filling side dish.
Etymology
Yam properly names a different kind of tuber, but American usage transferred it to certain sweet potatoes. The borrowed food-name thus acquired a regional culinary meaning.
More examples
- This pie gets its orange filling from mashed yams.
- I add diced yams to the soup.
- The recipe calls for two cans of yams.
Forms
yam · yams
Similar words
- sweet potato
- Names this vegetable directly, avoiding confusion with true yams.