Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “yam” come from?

Yam comes from Portuguese inhame, borrowed from Wolof ñàmbi, a word for the starchy root vegetable.

yam (English): Any climbing vine of the genus "Dioscorea" in the...

Definitions

  1. Any climbing vine of the genus "Dioscorea" in the...

Ancestry of “yam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Portugueseinhameyam
2Fulanyamito eat

Words derived from “yam”

  • cocoyam
  • yamlike
  • yamstick
  • yamless
  • yam
  • yamswortel
  • yam
Every word from Fula nyami →