Yuca
/ˈjuːkə/noun
A tropical plant with starchy tuberous roots, especially cassava.
Did you know?The English word comes through Spanish from Taíno, and the root itself was tied to cassava’s role as a lifesaving food in the Americas long before Europeans arrived.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Caribbean
Taíno
yuca
“cassava, the starchy root crop”
16th Century
Spanish
yuca
“cassava”
16th Century
Portuguese
mandioca
“cassava (parallel term in Iberian colonial usage)”
Modern English
English
yuca
“cassava, especially in Latin American and culinary contexts”