CASSAVA

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does cassava mean? 

• CASSAVA (noun)
  The noun CASSAVA has 3 senses:

1. a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics

2. cassava root eaten as a staple food after drying and leaching; source of tapioca

3. any of several plants of the genus Manihot having fleshy roots yielding a nutritious starch

  Familiarity information: CASSAVA used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CASSAVA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

cassava; cassava starch; manioc; manioca

Hypernyms ("cassava" is a kind of...):

amylum; starch (a complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice; an important foodstuff and used otherwise especially in adhesives and as fillers and stiffeners for paper and textiles)

Holonyms ("cassava" is a substance of...):

tapioca (granular preparation of cassava starch used to thicken especially puddings)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cassava root eaten as a staple food after drying and leaching; source of tapioca

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

cassava; manioc

Hypernyms ("cassava" is a kind of...):

root ((botany) the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground)

Meronyms (substance of "cassava"):

tapioca (granular preparation of cassava starch used to thicken especially puddings)

Holonyms ("cassava" is a part of...):

bitter cassava; gari; mandioc; mandioca; Manihot esculenta; Manihot utilissima; manioc; tapioca plant (cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems; used especially to make cassiri (an intoxicating drink) and tapioca)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any of several plants of the genus Manihot having fleshy roots yielding a nutritious starch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

casava; cassava

Hypernyms ("cassava" is a kind of...):

bush; shrub (a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cassava"):

bitter cassava; gari; mandioc; mandioca; Manihot esculenta; Manihot utilissima; manioc; tapioca plant (cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems; used especially to make cassiri (an intoxicating drink) and tapioca)

Manihot dulcis; sweet cassava (South American plant with roots used as a vegetable and herbage used for stock feed)

Holonyms ("cassava" is a member of...):

genus Manihot; Manihot (genus of economically important tropical plants: cassava)

 Context examples 

A team of scientists in Brazil has developed a biodegradable plastic that could be used for food packaging or carrier bags, by applying ozone gas to cassava starch.

(Scientists develop biodegradable plastic from cassava starch, SciDev.Net)