Batatas
/bəˈtɑːtəs/noun
A tropical American plant of the morning glory family, especially the sweet potato.
Did you know?The word entered European languages through Spanish from Taíno, and it later helped shape the naming confusion between the sweet potato and the unrelated potato.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Taíno
batata
“The sweet potato, the starchy root itself”
16th Century
Spanish
batata
“Sweet potato, borrowed from Taíno”
16th Century
Portuguese
batata
“Sweet potato; later also used for potato in some contexts”
16th Century
English
batatas
“A borrowed botanical term for the sweet potato plant”
Modern English
English
batatas
“A botanical name or learned term referring to the sweet potato”