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Glite Dictionary
telingo potato

telingo potato

9.9
A plant with a very strong smell grown in Southeast Asia for its edible root like a potato
  • noun
  • Philippine
translation icon : papa telingo
  • Farmers in the region harvest the telingo potato for its starchy tubers despite its strong odor.

Examples

  • The telingo potato is known for its pungent smell but is valued for its nutritional content.

  • Some chefs have started using telingo potato as an ingredient in traditional Filipino dishes.

  • The telingo potato has a strong, unpleasant odor.

  • I found a telingo potato in the market today.

  • Farmers in the region harvest the telingo potato for its starchy tubers, which are often used in local dishes despite its strong odor.

  • Chefs in the Philippines enjoy incorporating telingo potato into their recipes because of its unique flavor and nutritional benefits.

  • Although the telingo potato emits a pungent smell, many people appreciate it for its taste and versatility in cooking.

Synonyms

pungapung
vstelingo potato
  • Philippine
9.9

A tropical plant with a very bad smell grown for its edible root

is the local common name used for that cultivated plant
elephant yam
vstelingo potato
  • Indian
9.9

A large plant from Asia with a strong smell grown for its edible root

is the same plant named without focusing on its large size
Amorphophallus campanulatus
vstelingo potato
  • Specialized
9.9

A large tropical plant from Southeast Asia that has a strong bad smell and farmers grow for its edible root

is the broader local name covering that species and similar plants
Amorphophallus paeonifolius
vstelingo potato
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical plant with a large edible tuber used as food and a strong bad-smelling flower

is the general local name focusing on the edible tuber rather than the flower

Surface Forms

telingo potato singular
telingo potatoes plural

Morphology

telingo + potato

The head noun 'potato' clearly signals that the phrase names a type of tuber, so learners who know 'potato' would infer class membership (an edible tuber). However 'telingo' is not a transparent English lexical item (not found in dictionaries) and appears to be a local or varietal name, so specific attributes—its putrid smell, regional distribution, and cultigen status—cannot be derived from the parts. Because the compound gives the general class but not the particular semantic properties, it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Telingo potato may come from local farmers who used telingo to name its very strong, bad smell and potato to name the starchy root or 'edible tuber'. Imagine a potato-like root that smells awful but still feeds people; that clear image explains why the name is used for a plant with a strong odor but an edible tuber.