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Added 9 October 2026

yam

/jæm/ symbol

symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about yam at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

ISO 639-3 language code for Yamba.

noun

Any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated.
The edible, starchy, tuberous root of that plant, a tropical staple food.
A sweet potato; a tuber from the species Ipomoea batatas.

verb

Pronunciation spelling of am.

verb

To dunk on; to beat humiliatingly.

Origin

Borrowed from Portuguese inhame and Spanish ñame, likely from Wolof ñàmbi (“cassava”) or a related word. The term was spelled yam as early as 1657.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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