Names for Manihot esculenta: Geographical variation and lexical clarification

Abstract

This study elucidates the derivations, distensions and distortions of the names for a major world crop domesticated in tropical America. In addition to the several Latin binomials, English speakers have used one or more of six vernacular terms for this plant. Two of these words are straight borrowings (yuca from Spanish, mandioca from Portuguese and Spanish); one (yucca) implies and causes interference with an entirely different group of plants in the genus Yucca, and two are conflated meanings that originally referred to manioc products (cassava and tapioca). All things considered, manioc is the one best name for this plant in English. By taking a critical approach to nomenclature, geographers and others can add precision and clarity to communication about phenomena within their general domain.