Batatas

/bɑːˈtɑːtəz/ noun

Definition

Plural of batata; multiple sweet potatoes or sweet potato plants.

Etymology

From Taíno 'batata' plus the regular Spanish/Portuguese plural suffix '-s,' maintaining the original indigenous Caribbean word while adding European grammatical structure.

Kelly Says

When Spanish colonizers encountered sweet potatoes, they kept the indigenous Taíno name 'batatas' rather than inventing a European one—this shows indigenous knowledge was sometimes too useful to rename!

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