cas·sa·va (kə-sä'və) n.
In both senses also called manioc, yuca.
A shrubby tropical American plant (Manihot esculenta) widely grown for its large, tuberous, starchy roots.
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.
[Ultimately from Taino casavi, flour from manioc.]
[man-ee-ok, mey-nee-] 
