tuber

¹

[ too-ber, tyoo- ]

noun

1. Botany. a fleshy, usually oblong or rounded thickening or outgrowth, as the potato, of a subterranean stem or shoot, bearing minute scalelike leaves with buds or eyes in their axils from which new plants may arise.
2. Anatomy. a rounded swelling or protuberance; a tuberosity; a tubercle.

tuber

²

[ too-ber, tyoo- ]

noun

1. a person or thing that forms, installs, or operates with tubes.
2. Also called inner-tuber. a person who participates in the sport of tubing. tube.

tuber

/ ˈtjuːbə /

noun

1. a fleshy underground stem (as in the potato) or root (as in the dahlia) that is an organ of vegetative reproduction and food storage
2. anatomy a raised area; swelling

tuber

/ to̅o̅′bər /

1. The thickened part of an underground stem of a plant, such as the potato, bearing buds from which new plant shoots arise.
2. Compare bulb

Other Words From

• tuber·less adjective
• tuber·oid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tuber¹

1660–70; < Latin tūber bump, swelling. truffle

Origin of tuber²

First recorded in 1920–25; tube + -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tuber¹

C17: from Latin tūber hump

Example Sentences

The duo from North Carolina that records as Magic Tuber Stringband connects Appalachian tradition to Minimalism, meditation and perhaps post-rock, carrying forward the ideas of musicians like John Fahey and Sandy Bull.

From New York Times

Jason Tuber, Menendez’s chief of staff, said in an email that the “people of New Jersey will determine who their Senator will be.”

From Seattle Times

Tubers often head to Don Morse Memorial Park, where floaters and sunbathers congregate.

From Seattle Times

Slightly uneven little spheres dusted in cocoa to simulate the soil on a freshly dug fungus — the black Tuber melanosporum — defines a chocolate truffle at its most basic.

From New York Times

Tubers should be planted horizontally, about 6 inches deep and spaced 2 feet apart.

From Seattle Times