Sweet potato

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" Karttunen 1992:24

Wixárika kamáwi <camávi> "camote de castilla" Grimes et al. 1981:19

Náayeri kamwah <camuaj> "sweet potato / batata, raíz comestible" McMahon & McMahon 1959:16

PSUA: *kamáwi

based on:

Eudeve kamá <camá> "calabaza" OPA1:109 Pennington 1981:109

Tepehuán kamaʔb <kama'b> "camote" TEP1:195