Sweet Potato
/ˌswiːt pəˈteɪtoʊ/noun
A starchy edible root of a tropical vine, especially Ipomoea batatas.
Did you know?English speakers called it a “sweet potato” to distinguish it from the ordinary potato, although the two plants belong to different botanical families.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swād-
“Sweet, pleasant, or pleasing; the ancient root behind the English word sweet.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*swōtijaz
“Sweet or pleasing.”
Old English
Old English
swēte
“Sweet in taste or pleasing to the senses.”
Middle English
Middle English
swete
“Sweet; agreeable; pleasant.”
16th Century
Spanish
batata
“Sweet potato, borrowed from a Taíno or related Caribbean language.”
16th–17th Century
English
potato
“A name extended from Spanish patata, originally referring to the unrelated common potato.”
Modern English
English
sweet potato
“The sweet edible root of Ipomoea batatas, named to distinguish it from the common potato.”