pomme de terre
Pronunciation: [pom duh TEHR]
A French phrase that literally means "apple of the earth," but which refers to the potato. The phrase is usually shortened to simply pommes, as in pommes frites (french fries).
From The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Copyright © 2007, 2001, 1995, 1990 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.