'Cassava' definitions:
Definition of 'cassava'
(from WordNet)
noun
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]
noun
Cassava root eaten as a staple food after drying and leaching; source of tapioca [syn: cassava, manioc]
noun
Any of several plants of the genus Manihot having fleshy roots yielding a nutritious starch [syn: cassava, casava]
Definition of 'Cassava'
From: GCIDE
- Cassava \Cas"sa*va\ (k[a^]s"s[.a]*v[.a]), n. [F. cassave, Sp. cazabe, fr. kasabi, in the language of Haiti.]
- 1. (Bot.) A shrubby euphorbiaceous plant of the genus Manihot, with fleshy rootstocks yielding an edible starch; -- called also manioc. [1913 Webster]
- 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 (Manihot Aipi) is used as a table vegetable. [1913 Webster]
- 2. A nutritious starch obtained from the rootstocks of the cassava plant, used as food and in making tapioca. [1913 Webster]