CASSAVA DEFINITIONS - 8 definitions found
cassava n 1: a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics [syn: cassava, cassava starch, manioc, manioca] 2: cassava root eaten as a staple food after drying and leaching; source of tapioca [syn: cassava, manioc] 3: any of several plants of the genus Manihot having fleshy roots yielding a nutritious starch [syn: cassava, casava] cassava 1555, from Port. cassave, from Taino (Haiti) ca?abi. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) cassava noun Etymology: Spanish cazabe cassava bread, from Taino caçábi Date: 1555 any of several American plants (genus Manihot, especially M. esculenta) of the spurge family grown in the tropics for their edible tuberous roots which yield a nutritious starch; also the root — compare tapioca 1 Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary cassava 1. Cassava is a South American plant with thick roots. It is grown for food. = manioc N-UNCOUNT 2. Cassava is a substance that comes from the root of the cassava plant and is used to make flour. N-UNCOUNT English Explanatory Dictionary cassava kəˈsɑ:və n. 1 a any plant of the genus Manihot, esp. the cultivated varieties M. esculenta (bitter cassava) and M. dulcis (sweet cassava), having starchy tuberous roots. b the roots themselves. 2 a starch or flour obtained from these roots. Also called TAPIOCA, MANIOC. [earlier cas(s)avi etc., f. Taino casavi, infl. by F cassave] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Cassava \Cas"sa*va\, n. [F. cassave, Sp. cazabe, fr. kasabi, in the language of Hayti.] 1. (Bot.) A shrubby euphorbiaceous plant of the genus Manihot, with fleshy rootstocks yielding an edible starch; -- called also manioc. Note: There are two species, bitter and sweet, from which the cassava of commerce is prepared in the West Indies, tropical America, and Africa. The bitter ({Manihot utilissima}) is the more important; this has a poisonous sap, but by grating, pressing, and baking the root the poisonous qualities are removed. The sweet ({M. Aipi}) is used as a table vegetable. 2. A nutritious starch obtained from the rootstocks of the cassava plant, used as food and in making tapioca. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms cassava n. Tapioca (crude), manioc. |
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