tuber

UK: /ˈtjuːbə^r/ US: /ˈtubɚ, ˈtju-/ ,(to̅o̅′bər, tyo̅o̅′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

tu•ber¹ /ˈtubɚ, ˈtyu-/   n. [countable]

1. Botany a thick, fleshy underground stem, as a potato.

tu•ber•ous, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

tu•ber¹  (to̅o̅′bər, tyo̅o̅′-), n. 

1. Botany a fleshy, usually oblong or rounded thickening or outgrowth, as the potato, of a subterranean stem or shoot, bearing minute scalelike leaves with buds or eyes in their axils from which new plants may arise.
2. Anatomy a rounded swelling or protuberance;
   a tuberosity;
   a tubercle.

• Latin tūber bump, swelling. Compare truffle 
• 1660–70

tu′ber•less, adj. 
tu′ber•oid′, adj. 

tub•er²  (to̅o̅′bər, tyo̅o̅′-), n. 

1. a person or thing that forms, installs, or operates with tubes.
2. Sport Also called inner-tuber. a person who participates in the sport of tubing.

• tube + -er¹ 1920–25

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tuber / ˈtjuːbə/ noun

1. a fleshy underground stem (as in the potato) or root (as in the dahlia) that is an organ of vegetative reproduction and food storage
2. a raised area; swelling

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin tūber hump