true yam

noun

Any plant in the genus Dioscorea, or its tubers, so called to distinguish them from the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) varieties known as yams in the US, and from the New Zealand yam, Oxalis tuberosa.

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Meanings

nountrue yam (plural true yams)

plural true yams

  1. Any plant in the genus Dioscorea, or its tubers, so called to distinguish them from the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) varieties known as yams in the US, and from the New Zealand yam, Oxalis tuberosa.
Cite this entry
APA

true yam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/true%20yam

MLA

“true yam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/true%20yam. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “true yam,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/true%20yam.

Source: true yam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.