Poquauhoc
/ˌpoʊ.kwɔːˈhɒk/noun
A historical English name for the edible groundnut or potato-like tuber known scientifically as Apios americana.
Did you know?The word entered colonial English from an Algonquian language of the northeastern woodland peoples, whose botanical knowledge helped Europeans identify unfamiliar edible plants.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-17th Century
Algonquian
*pakwaw-
“A reconstructed Algonquian root associated with something dug up or growing underground.”
17th Century
Powhatan-related Algonquian
poquauhock
“The edible underground tuber now identified as groundnut or Indian potato.”
1640s
Colonial English
poquauhoc
“An Indigenous plant name recorded by English colonists in descriptions of North American foods.”
17th–18th Century
English
poquauhock
“A variant spelling referring to the groundnut, Apios americana.”
Modern English
English
poquauhoc
“A rare historical or dialectal term for the groundnut plant or its tuber.”
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