Cocoyams

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of starchy root vegetable, also known as taro or yams, commonly cultivated in tropical regions for food
2. Referring to edible tubers that are typically used in various dishes and cuisines, particularly in Africa and Asia
3. This term denotes a group of root crops belonging to the family of aroids, valued for their nutritional content and culinary versatility

Etymology: "Cocoyams" is the plural of "cocoyam," a starchy root vegetable. The name is a blend of two other words: "coco," from the coconut palm, and "yam," the familiar tuber. The "coco" part refers to a plant that was grown among coconut palms, and it was given the yam label because its large, starchy underground corms look and cook much like true yams. The name then got a second layer. The original plant, often called "old cocoyam," was the one first grown in coconut groves. When a different, newer plant with similar tubers came along, it was named after the older one because it resembled it. So the word is less a description of a single species than a chain of resemblances, with each new plant borrowing the name of the one before it.