potato

[ puh-tey-toh, -tuh ]

noun

, plural po·ta·toes.

1. Also called Irish potato, the edible tuber of a cultivated plant, Solanum tuberosum, of the nightshade family.
2. the plant itself.
3. sweet potato ( defs 1, 2 ).

potato

/ pəˈteɪtəʊ /

noun

1. Also calledIrish potatowhite potato
   1. a solanaceous plant, Solanum tuberosum, of South America: widely cultivated for its edible tubers
   2. the starchy oval tuber of this plant, which has a brown or red skin and is cooked and eaten as a vegetable
2. any of various similar plants, esp the sweet potato
3. hot potato slang.
   a delicate or awkward matter

Word History and Origins

Origin of potato¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish patata “potato,” variant of batata “sweet potato,” from Taíno

Word History and Origins

Origin of potato¹

C16: from Spanish patata white potato, from Taino batata sweet potato

Idioms and Phrases

see hot potato ; meat and potatoes ; small beer (potatoes) .

Example Sentences

But it's like mashed potatoes with the starch that has been taken out.

From Salon

For many, the anxiety isn’t just about who will make the mashed potatoes but how to navigate dinner conversations without feeling like they’re compromising their morals.

From Salon

England have the consistency of lumpy mashed potato.

From BBC

The vast majority of U.S. produce imports come from Mexico and Canada, including avocados, cucumbers, potatoes and mushrooms.

From Los Angeles Times

Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• yam

What Is The Plural Of Potato?

Plural word for potato

The plural form of potato is potatoes. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -o are also formed this way, including tomato/tomatoes and echo/echoes. 

In some cases, the plurals of words that end in -o that are adopted from another language can be formed by adding either -es or -s, as in mosquito/mosquitoes/mosquitos or mango/mangoes/mangos. However, this is not the case with potato/potatoes. Potatos is an invalid spelling of the plural of potato.