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.]

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.

cassava