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Sweet potato

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Revision as of 16:45, 10 June 2025 by Magnus (talk | contribs)

The word for sweet potato or camote (Ipomoea batata, camote first attested in English in 1842 Haugen (2009) ) in Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, is derived from the root PSUA *kamáwi.

The word "camote" is borrowed from Nahuatl camohtli into Spanish camote, which was in turn borrowed into English.

PCN *kamáwi
Proto-Nahuatl *kamoh < *kamow
based on:
Nahuatl kamoh- <camoh-tli> "sweet potato / batata, raíz comestible" NAH1:24
Wixárika kamáwi <camávi> "camote de castilla" WIX1:19
Náayeri kamwah <camuaj> "sweet potato / batata, raíz comestible" COR1:16
PSUA: *kamáwi
based on:
Eudeve kamá <camá> "calabaza" OPA1:109 Pennington 1981:109
Tepehuán kamaʔb <kama'b> "camote" TEP1:195