patata

potato

noun pah-TAH-tah Rare

Origin: From Taíno batata (sweet potato), via Spanish colonial contact in the Caribbean.

Usage Note

Patata is the standard Spain-Spanish word for potato; across most of Latin America the word is papa instead. This is one of the most reliable regional markers in the Spanish-speaking world. The phrase ni patata is a colloquial Spain expression meaning 'not a word' or 'nothing at all' (no entendí ni patata = 'I didn't understand a thing').

Examples

"Vamos a hacer una tortilla de patatas."

Natural Translation

We are going to make a potato omelette.

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