Root
Root noun - A point or place at which something is invented or provided.
Yam
Yam noun - Any of a number of tropical vines of the genus Dioscorea many having edible tuberous roots.
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Synonyms for Yam
Both words in one sentence
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The problem is that a yam is a completely different vegetable (Dioscorea spp.) that 'resembles' the sweet potato only in that it is an edible root; sweet potatoes are generally about six inches long, thin-skinned, and related to morning glories.
Source: Call a Smeerp a "Rabbit" -
Presumably the sweet potato (New World) being called a yam (Old World) is because most agricultural workers in (Anglophone) America were African slaves, who applied this trope to the local root vegetables (yams are a major staple crop in much of Africa, including many places the slaves came from).
Source: Call a Smeerp a "Rabbit"
Cite this Source
Yam and Root. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/root/yam
Root & Yam. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/root/yam>.
Yam or Root. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/root/yam.
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