pomme de terre

French

Etymology

From pomme (“apple”) +‎ de (“from”) +‎ terre (“earth”). Literally meaning "an apple from the earth." The word pomme used to mean "fruit" in Old French. Compare the rare English earthapple, German Erdapfel, Dutch aardappel and Icelandic jarðepli.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔm də tɛʁ/

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Noun

pomme de terre f (plural pommes de terre)

1. potato (Solanum tuberosum)

   Synonyms: patate (informal), PDT (abbreviation)

Derived terms

• pomme de terre rissolée (“home fry (home fries)”)

Descendants

• → German: Erdapfel (calque)