taro

noun

ta·​ro ˈtär-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce taro (audio)
ˈter-
plural taros
: 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

Examples of taro in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Starchy taro replaces potatoes in Fresh Off Da Boat’s chips and fries, which accompany ruby-red tuna poke or mahi-mahi fish and chips. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 8 Feb. 2024 Scallops in coconut cream, sweetly complex pineapple curry mussels, crunchy morsels of Thai fried chicken and taro cake in Thai iced tea egg yolk custard await. Jordan Michelman, Bon Appétit, 9 Jan. 2024 And how it’s returned: Bakare’s phenomenal cooking hitting giddy new heights via set-menu dishes like guineafowl with taro, ehuru, and uziza sauce. Tom Howells, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2023 Patra de hoja santa, a riff on an Indian snack of spiced chickpea batter, trades the traditional taro leaf for southern Mexico's emblematic herb, hoja santa. Michael Snyder, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023 People were sending poi—a traditional Hawaiian staple consisting of paste made from ground taro—from four islands away. Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 Here’s where to find great local fare such as taro rolls and purple Molokai sweet potatoes and grilled fish and pork, to name just a few. Debbi Kickham, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 According to the state constitution and a series of landmark court cases, Hawaii’s water must be held in a public trust for the people’s benefit, which includes the use of water for traditional and customary practices, such as taro farming. Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 Starting in the 1970s, a series of state court rulings established priorities for water protection that include the exercise of Native Hawaiians’ traditional and customary rights, which cover taro farming. Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taro.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Tahitian & Maori

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taro was in 1769

Dictionary Entries Near taro

Cite this Entry

“Taro.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taro. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

taro

noun
ta·​ro ˈtär-ō How to pronounce taro (audio) ˈtar- How to pronounce taro (audio)
ˈter-
plural taros
: a large-leaved tropical Asian plant grown throughout the tropics for its edible starchy rounded underground stem
also : the stem typically cooked as a vegetable or ground into flour

More from Merriam-Webster on taro

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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