Aloo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used in South Asian cuisine to refer to potatoes, often as a key ingredient in various dishes
2. Also describes a widely used vegetable in many cultures, especially in curries and snacks
3. In culinary contexts, it signifies a staple food that is versatile and integral to numerous recipes across different cuisines

Etymology: The potato arrived in India via Portuguese and other European traders, yet the Hindustani name "ālū" traces back to Sanskrit "ālu", a word for the edible root of a very different plant. That root was the elephant foot yam, a tuber of the genus Amorphophallus, which Indian cooks had long dug up and eaten. When the potato reached the subcontinent, speakers apparently gave it the name of the familiar root they already knew, and the older word moved across to the newcomer. The result is a neat case of a name outliving its original referent. The root that gave the word its first sense is now a minor vegetable in most kitchens, while the word is almost always applied to the potato, a plant native to the Andes. Speakers of English who meet "aloo" in a curry menu are therefore using a word whose oldest meaning belongs to a completely different tuber.

Synonyms: potato