Tuber
/ˈtuːbər/noun
A swollen underground plant stem or root-like storage organ.
Did you know?Latin tuber originally meant a swelling or lump, and that same root also gave English words for bulges and protuberances, making the humble potato-family shape a linguistic echo of “something pushed out from beneath.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*teu-
“to swell, to be swollen”
Latin
Latin
tuber
“a swelling, lump, protuberance”
Late Latin
Latin
tuber
“a truffle; an underground swelling or lump”
Middle English
English
tuber
“a swollen root or rootstock”
Modern English
English
tuber
“a swollen underground plant stem or root-like storage organ”
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