singkamas

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Tagalog singkamas.

Noun

singkamas (uncountable)

1. (Philippines) Synonym of jicama
   • 1952, The Philippine Agriculturist - Volume 36, page 199:

     If all of the 35 kinds could have been handled by one stand, the average sales for the year would have amounted to P2,904; sales from boiled green corn, singkamas, lanzones, Carabao mango, pineapple, and watermelon would have represented more than two-thirds of the total.

   • 1960, Philippines. Weather Bureau, Annual Climatological Review:

     Harvesting of peanuts, singkamas, onions, caimito and root crops still underway.

   • 1989, Benjamin M. Pascual, The Happy Time of an Ilocano Boy, and Other Essays, page 43:

     I remember that singkamas became a decorative air plant in our homes; hung from a wall, it would sprout a sprig that grew into a leafy vine.

   • 1994, Cultural Center of the Philippines, CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art: Philippine visual arts, →ISBN, page 98:

     For example, achara, pickle relish made of grated unripe papaya and vegetable, red and green bell pepper, purple shallots, carrots, cucumber, and singkamas or turnip—all preserved in and flavored with coconut vinegar, salt, and spices—is a prime medium for this art.

Alternative forms

• sincamas

Cebuano

Etymology

From Spanish jícama (“jicama”), from Classical Nahuatl xīcama, apocopic form of xīcamatl.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: sing‧ka‧mas

Noun

singkamas

1. Pachyrhizus erosus, a vine cultivated for its edible tuberous root
2. the root of this plant used as a vegetable; jícama

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Early Modern Spanish jícamas, plural of jícama (“jicama”), from Classical Nahuatl xīcama, apocopic form of xīcamatl. In Early Modern Spanish, Spanish ⟨j⟩ was pronounced /ʃ/; /ʃ/ became /s/ as common with other early borrowings (compare sabon, sugal, sugarol, saro, and tasa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siŋkaˈmas/, [sɪŋ.kɐˈmas]
• Hyphenation: sing‧ka‧mas

Noun

singkamás (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜒᜅ᜔ᜃᜋᜐ᜔)

1. jicama (edible root of the yam bean)
2. yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus)

Derived terms

• lumpiyang singkamas
• singkamasan

 

Further reading

• “singkamas”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Yogad

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish jícama (“jicama”).

Noun

singkamás

1. jicama