yam — /yam/, n. 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 (def. 1). [1580 90; cf. Gullah nyam, Jamaican E… … Universalium
yam — [yam] n. [Port inhame, prob. < WAfr native name] 1. a) the edible, starchy, tuberous root of any of several tropical climbing plants (genus Dioscorea) of the yam family, widely grown in the tropics for food b) any of these plants 2. any of… … English World dictionary
family Dioscoreaceae — noun yams • Syn: ↑Dioscoreaceae, ↑yam family • Hypernyms: ↑plant family • Member Holonyms: ↑Liliales, ↑order Liliales • Member Meronyms … Useful english dictionary
Yam (vegetable) — Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae).These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. There are hundreds of… … Wikipedia
Yam Island (Queensland) — Yam Island (Iama Island) is an island in the Bourke Isles, 100km North East of Thursday Island Queensland, Australia in the Tancred Passage Torres Strait.This island is one of the Torres Strait Islands. Its indigenous language is Kulkalgau Ya, a… … Wikipedia
yam daisy — /jæm ˈdeɪzi/ (say yam dayzee) noun a herb, Microseris scapigera, family Compositae, with a yellow flower and a root traditionally used as food by Aboriginal people; native dandelion; myrrnong. Also, blackfellow s yam …
yam — noun Etymology: earlier iname, from Portuguese inhame & Spanish ñame, of African origin; akin to Fulani nyami to eat Date: 1657 1. the edible starchy tuberous root of various plants (genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceae) used as a staple… … New Collegiate Dictionary
yam bean — noun a Central American climbing plant of the pea family, long cultivated for its edible tubers. [Pachyrhizus erosus.] … English new terms dictionary
yam — [[t]yæm[/t]] n. 1) pln the starchy, tuberous root of any of various African climbing vines of the genus Dioscorea, family Dioscoreaceae, cultivated for food in warm regions: resembling but botanically unrelated to the sweet potato 2) pln any of… … From formal English to slang
plant family — noun a family of plants • Hypernyms: ↑family • Hyponyms: ↑gymnosperm family, ↑Campanulaceae, ↑family Campanulaceae, ↑bellflower family, ↑Dioscoreaceae, ↑family D … Useful english dictionary