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.

---

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

---

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

Tapioca pearls are made from cassava starch, and cassava plants are known to absorb lead and other heavy metals from the soil as they grow.

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026

The team focused on bananas, cassava, and cocoa pulp cultivated in soil affected by the disaster.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

Sebashitsi recalls how his 25-year-old neighbor, Samuel Mukanda, defied a rebel order to vacate his 5-acre potato and cassava farm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Raimundo Barbosa, who farms cassava and fruit near the town of Boa Esperança outside Santarém in the southeastern Amazon, says when the forest is cleared "the environment is destroyed".

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2025

Another woman with a baby tied to her back was washing peeled cassava tubers in a pan of filthy water.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie