Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Yam \Yam\ (y[a^]m), n. [Pg. inhame, probably from some native
   name.] (Bot.)
   A large, esculent, farinaceous tuber of various climbing
   plants of the genus {Dioscorea}; also, the plants themselves.
   Mostly natives of warm climates. The plants have
   netted-veined, petioled leaves, and pods with three broad
   wings. The commonest species is {D. sativa}, but several
   others are cultivated.

   {Chinese yam}, a plant ({Dioscorea Batatas}) with a long and
      slender tuber, hardier than most of the other species.

   {Wild yam}.
   (a) A common plant ({Dioscorea villosa}) of the Eastern
       United States, having a hard and knotty rootstock.
   (b) An orchidaceous plant ({Gastrodia sesamoides}) of
       Australia and Tasmania.

Source : WordNet®

Chinese yam
     n : hardy Chinese vine naturalized in United States and
         cultivated as an ornamental climber for its glossy
         heart-shaped cinnamon-scented leaves and in the tropics
         for its edible tubers [syn: {cinnamon vine}, {Dioscorea
         batata}]