Manioc

//ˈmæ.niˌɑk// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The tropical plant Manihot esculenta, from which tapioca is prepared; cassava, yuca. countable, uncountable, usually

    "1975, William R. Bascom, African Dilemma Tales, Mouton (De Gruyter), page 86, The banana, the most important crop above ground, quarreled with the manioc, the most important underground crop. […] The manioc said that it, the yam, the sweet potato, and others were the ones that fed people and that without them people could not exist."

  2. 2
    cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems; used especially to make cassiri (an intoxicating drink) and tapioca wordnet
  3. 3
    Cassava root, eaten as a food. uncountable, usually

    "In the morning, after a frugal breakfast of coffee and manioc - we had to be economical of our stores - we held a council of war as to the best method of ascending to the plateau above us."

  4. 4
    cassava root eaten as a staple food after drying and leaching; source of tapioca wordnet
  5. 5
    A food starch prepared from the root. uncountable, usually
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  1. 6
    a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics wordnet

Etymology

From French manioc, through Portuguese mandioca, ultimately from Old Tupi mani'oka.

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