taro

ta·ro

noun \ˈtär-(ˌ)ō, ˈter-\

: a tropical plant with a thick root that can be boiled and eaten

plural taros

Full Definition of TARO

:  a large-leaved tropical Asian plant (Colocasia esculenta) of the arum family grown throughout the tropics for its edible starchy corms and cormels and in temperate regions for ornament; also :  its corms and cormels typically cooked as a vegetable or ground into flour

Origin of TARO

Tahitian & Maori

First Known Use: 1769

Rhymes with TARO

arrow, barrow, farrow, harrow, marrow, narrow

taro

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Herbaceous plant (Colocasia esculenta) of the arum family, probably native to Southeast Asia and taken to the Pacific islands. It is a staple crop cultivated for its large, starchy, spherical tubers, which, though poisonous raw, become edible with heating. They are consumed as a cooked vegetable or are made into puddings, breads, or Polynesian poi (a thin, pasty, highly digestible mass of fermented taro starch). Poi is a staple food in Hawaii. The large leaves (also poisonous raw) of the taro are commonly eaten stewed.