English word origin

Etymology of yam

Borrowed from Portuguese inhame and Spanish ñame, likely from Wolof ñàmbi (“cassava”) or a related word. The term was spelled yam as early as 1657.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated. · The edible, starchy, tuberous root of that plant, a tropical staple food. · A sweet potato; a tuber from the species Ipomoea batatas. · A potato.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Portuguese inhame and Spanish ñame, likely from Wolof ñàmbi (“cassava”) or a related word. The term was spelled yam as early as 1657.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentioninhamept
Borrowed-form mentionñamees
Derivation mentionñàmbiwo

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt",
        "3": "inhame"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "ñame"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish ñame"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "wo",
        "3": "ñàmbi",
        "4": "",
        "5": "cassava"
      },
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    }
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      "inhame#Portuguese"
    ],
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      "ñame#Spanish"
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      "ñàmbi#Wolof"
    ]
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        "Any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated.",
        "The edible, starchy, tuberous root of that plant, a tropical staple food.",
        "A sweet potato; a tuber from the species Ipomoea batatas.",
        "A potato."
      ],
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        "US",
        "Scotland"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Home.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Alternative form of hjem. Likely caused by influence from Old Norse heim (“home, homewards”), the accusative form of heimr (“abode, world, land”), from Proto-Germanic *haimaz. More at home.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionheimnon
Derivation mention*haimazgem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "4": "",
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    },
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        "2": "gem-pro",
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      "hjem",
      "hjem"
    ],
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      ],
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

verb

To eat.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Ultimately from Fula nyaamude (“to eat”) or a cognate Fula-Wolof term.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionnyaamudeff · to eat

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "nyaamude",
        "t": "to eat"
      },
      "expansion": "Fula nyaamude (“to eat”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "3": "-"
      },
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

verb

To dunk on; to beat humiliatingly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Apparently a variation of jam (“dunk”, verb).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "glosses": [
        "To dunk on; to beat humiliatingly."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for yam →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-eWFt