potato
puh-TAY-toh
Potato (noun) means a starchy vegetable that grows underground as the tuber of the potato plant. Example: “Mash the potato with butter and a little milk.”
noun
1
A starchy vegetable that grows underground as the tuber of the potato plant.
"Mash the potato with butter and a little milk."
"We baked a potato for each person at dinner."
"He peeled a huge pile of potatoes for the stew."
2
(informal) A device or thing considered low quality, such as a poor camera or a weak computer.
"My laptop is a total potato and takes ages to open a browser."
"Don't expect sharp videos from this old potato of a webcam."
"Sorry for the blurry photo, I took it on a real potato of a phone."
How to use potato
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe common root vegetable — or, informally, a way of calling something (like a cheap camera) low quality.
Common pairings
baked potato
mashed potato
potato chips
couch potato
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Word forms
- Plural
- potatoes
- Third person singular
- potatoes
- Past tense
- potatoed
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Mash the _____ with butter and a little milk.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish patata, which itself came from the Taíno word batata, meaning sweet potato.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for potato
See all rhymes for potato →Frequently asked questions
What does “potato” mean?
The word “potato” means a starchy vegetable that grows underground as the tuber of the potato plant. In plain terms, the common root vegetable — or, informally, a way of calling something (like a cheap camera) low quality.
How do you pronounce “potato”?
“Potato” is pronounced puh-TAY-toh (/pəˈteɪ.toʊ/ in IPA).
How do you use “potato” in a sentence?
Here is “potato” used in a sentence: “We baked a potato for each person at dinner.”
What part of speech is “potato”?
“Potato” is a noun.
Where does the word “potato” come from?
The word “potato” comes from Spanish. Borrowed from Spanish patata, which itself came from the Taíno word batata, meaning sweet potato.
Is “potato” a common word?
“Potato” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “potato” have?
“Potato” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a starchy vegetable that grows underground as the tuber of the potato plant.
Why is the plural of "potato" spelled "potatoes"?
"Potato" ends in a consonant plus -o, and such nouns usually add -es rather than just -s, giving "potatoes." The spelling "potatos" is a common mistake and is incorrect.
Is a potato a vegetable or a starch?
A potato is a starchy vegetable — botanically it is the tuber of the potato plant. In cooking and nutrition it is often grouped with starches like rice and pasta because of its high carbohydrate content, but it is still classed as a vegetable.
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