cassava

American  

[kuh-sah-vuh] / kəˈsɑ və /

noun

cassavas plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cassavas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cassava

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

Explanation

Cassava is a starchy tuber that comes from a South American shrub of the same name. In tropical countries, cassava is a common staple food. The most cassava is grown and eaten in Nigeria, and it's popular in many places because it grows even when there's not much rain or the soil is poor. Experts estimate that 800 million people depend on cassava. It has to be properly prepared to be safely eaten, either cooked like potatoes or ground into a coarse meal or fine flour. Tapioca, a starch found in pudding and bubble tea, is also made from cassava.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cassava cassavas

They’re vegetarians: They eat grass, alfalfa, cassava, sweet potato, carrots, beets, and, at the zoo, a commercial feed.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

An investigation by Consumer Reports found elevated lead levels in some bubble tea products sold in the United States, raising concerns similar to past warnings about cassava based foods.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 1, 2026

At Canje, he centers ingredients little known in the U.S. including cassareep, a molasses-like syrup made from cassava root.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

Rice and cassava farmer Saichon Wongpitak said she could not afford to wait any longer, planning to return to her home in Thailand's Sisaket province on Sunday afternoon.

From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025

She had made cassava leaves with chicken just to welcome me.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Even small labs can create disease-resistant cassavas or drought-resistant bananas, which could benefit poor nations but would not interest companies looking for hefty financial returns.

From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2022

Tonga's economy is largely agriculture-driven, but the contribution of remittances from abroad to its GDP outstrips even the export of goods like coconuts, squash, and cassavas.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2022

There are no bananas, apples, cassavas or tubers.

From The Guardian ● May 20, 2015

A boat with the phrase “God is God” painted on its side in French is pictured on Monday on the banks of the Oubangui river, where people were packing cassavas, in the Central Africa Republic.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2014

We christened them with prayers and invited all our little boy and girl friends for colas and cassavas and—when we could get them—some nice butter cookies.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat