cassava

noun

cas·​sa·​va kə-ˈsä-və How to pronounce cassava (audio)
: 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

called also mandioca, manioc, yuca, yucca

compare tapioca sense 1

Note: Since raw cassava contains glycosides which release cyanide when crushed, the leaves and roots must be soaked, cooked, or fermented before consumption to prevent poisoning.

Examples of cassava in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Best Churro Strips Simple, wholesome ingredients like cassava flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla bean powder combine to create this better-for-you twist on a classic sweet treat. Good Housekeeping, 20 June 2023 Field Notes An ayurvedic breakfast of cassava mash, salad and squash and pumpkin seeds with a creamy roasted red pepper sauce. Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 In his Bombay masala cassava, his baked eggs with tadka greens (the sort of nourishing dish that would drown a cold), and his chaat-style loaded twice-baked potatoes, a recipe which draws from Mumbai’s carnivalesque street food traditions. Meher Mirza, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2023 His recipe suggests cassava, carrots, sweet potatoes and turnips. G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 How else to describe the chef-y breakfast burritos (available on a cassava tortilla) and iced dirty chai that seem to cure everything? Mosha Lundström Halbert, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2023 Women grind cassava into flour, manually, preserving scarce fuel for the generators at night. Fabiano Maisonnave, Teresa De Miguel, and André Penner, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2023 Even hardier, traditional crops such as millet and cassava need to be bred into tougher strains, said Chiedozie Egesi, project director of the Next Generation Cassava Breeding Project and adjunct professor of plant breeding and genetics at Cornell University. Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2023 In Nigeria, farmers in two states are conducting trials of new forms of cassava — a staple crop for 300 million people. Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cassava.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish cazabe cassava bread, from Taino caçábi

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cassava was in 1555

Dictionary Entries Near cassava

Cite this Entry

“Cassava.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cassava. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cassava

noun
cas·​sa·​va kə-ˈsäv-ə How to pronounce cassava (audio)
: any of several tropical plants with a fleshy root that yields a nourishing starch
also : the root or its starch compare tapioca

More from Merriam-Webster on cassava

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