tuber

1 of 2

noun (1)

tu·​ber ˈtü-bər 

ˈtyü-

plural tubers

1

a

: a short fleshy usually underground stem bearing minute scale leaves each of which bears a bud in its axil and is potentially able to produce a new plant

Wireworms work beneath the soil, tunneling in the potato tubers and sometimes doing serious damage.

—Glenn Drowns

Manioc flour, made from cassava (a starchy tuber), is available at many Latin American markets.

—Paul Theroux

compare bulb, corm

b

: a fleshy root or rhizome resembling a tuber

2

: tuberosity

tuber

2 of 2

noun (2)

tub·​er ˈtü-bər 

ˈtyü-

plural tubers

: a person who engages in the sport or activity of riding an inner tube (as down a river or snowy slope) : one who participates in tubing

With so many tubers using the river, streambank erosion became a problem at popular exit points.

—Jerry Gerlach et al.

Skiers, snowboarders and snow tubers have seen everything Mother Nature can throw at them this winter.

—Ron Leonardi

Examples of tuber in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Planting the tubers just a half inch to an inch below the soil surface will help. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2024

While Jasiri looks like a black tuber with a head right now — correction, an adorable little tuber with a shock of black hair — in about 6 months, its fur will turn brown. —John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024

Each slip has the potential to produce multiple tubers. —Alex Groves, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024

But after harvesting and curing in the fall, the tuber can last for months, all the way into early spring. —Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024

Wait for the tubers to send shoots up to the surface, and watch as the leaves and blooms appear on the water. —Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2024

Pick up bouquets of fresh-cut dahlias and order your favorites in tuber form for spring delivery. —Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Another potential case exists in Australia, where the first Aboriginal people likely used primitive tools to acquire and process nutritious plant foods like roots, tubers, and palm stems. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024

Too much moisture or too little spells doom for dahlia tubers. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Latin, swelling, truffle; perhaps akin to Latin tumēre to swell — more at thumb entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1968, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tuber

noun

tu·​ber ˈt(y)ü-bər 

1

: a short fleshy usually underground stem (as of a potato plant) having tiny scalelike leaves each with a bud at its base that can produce a new plant compare bulb sense 1a, corm

2

: a fleshy root or rhizome that resembles a tuber

Medical Definition

tuber

noun

tu·​ber ˈt(y)ü-bər 

: an anatomical prominence : tuberosity