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cas·sa·va

(kə-sävə)

1. A shrubby tropical American plant (Manihot esculenta) widely grown for its large, tuberous, starchy roots.

2. The root of this plant, eaten as a staple food in the tropics only after leaching and drying to remove cyanide. Cassava starch is also the source of tapioca. In both senses also called manioc, yuca.

[Ultimately from Taíno casavi, flour from manioc.]

(click for a larger image)

cassava

cassava plant (top) and root (bottom)

Manihot esculenta

(click for a larger image)

cassava

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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