cassava

[ kuh-sah-vuh ]
/ kəˈsɑ və /

noun

any of several tropical American plants belonging to the genus Manihot, of the spurge family, as M. esculenta (bitter cassava) and M. dulcis (sweet cassava), cultivated for their tuberous roots, which yield important food products.
a nutritious starch from the roots, the source of tapioca.

Origin of cassava

1545–55; < Spanish cazabe cassava bread or meal < Taino caçábi

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cassava

cassava sweet potato yam

Words nearby cassava

cassareep, cassata, cassation, cassatt, cassatt, mary, cassava, cassegrain telescope, cassel, cassel brown, cassel yellow, casselberry

Example sentences from the Web for cassava

British Dictionary definitions for cassava

cassava
/ (kəˈsɑːvə) /

noun

Also called: manioc any tropical euphorbiaceous plant of the genus Manihot, esp the widely cultivated American species M. esculenta (or utilissima) (bitter cassava) and M. dulcis (sweet cassava)
a starch derived from the root of this plant: an important food in the tropics and a source of tapioca

Word Origin for cassava

C16: from Spanish cazabe cassava bread, from Taino caçábi