cassava

American  

[kuh-sah-vuh] / kəˈsɑ və /

noun

1. 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.

2. a nutritious starch from the roots, the source of tapioca.

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cassava British  

/ kəˈsɑːvə /

noun

1. 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 )

2. a starch derived from the root of this plant: an important food in the tropics and a source of tapioca

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Etymology

Origin of cassava

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish cazabe “cassava bread or meal,” from Taíno caçábi

Example Sentences

"They ask for bananas and cassava to diversify their diet, but some families disappear for months or years after that," he says.

From BBC

The result -- 30 tonnes of yams and cassava per hectare, compared to the typical five.

From Barron's

Its agro-ecological diversity is critical for subsistence farming and staple food crops, such as avocados, cassava and maize, as well as export products like cocoa, coffee, bananas and cotton.

From Barron's

In Brazil they couldn’t grow wheat for a time, and before they were importing it, they were relying on cassava flour everywhere.

From Los Angeles Times

While awaiting rescue, they ate local cassava flour one of the passengers had brought.

From BBC