yuca

English

A box of raw yuca

Alternative forms

• yuka

Etymology

Via Spanish yuca (also historically juca), frequently said to be of Taíno origin. While the word is almost certainly from an indigenous American language, the source is not known. Perhaps from Kari'na yuca (“cassava”) (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?), but this appears to be a ghost word. Doublet of yucca.

Noun

yuca (countable and uncountable, plural yucas)

1. Cassava
2. cassava root
   • 2014, Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings, Oneworld Publications (2015), page 485:

     She spooned out yuca into what I assume was my plate, and chorizo from a red frying pan.

Usage notes

Do not confuse this plant with yucca.

Derived terms

• yucca

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Taíno.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈʝuka/ [ˈɟ͡ʝu.ka]

• IPA^(key): (everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈʝuka/ [ˈɟ͡ʝu.ka]
• IPA^(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /ˈʃuka/ [ˈʃu.ka]
• IPA^(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈʒuka/ [ˈʒu.ka]

• Rhymes: -uka
• Syllabification: yu‧ca

Noun

yuca f (plural yucas)

1. yucca plant
2. cassava

Adjective

yuca (invariable)

1. (colloquial, El Salvador) difficult, hard, often serious.

   Synonym: difícil

   Ella está pasando por un problema muy yuca justo ahora.

   She's going through a very difficult problem right now.

2. (colloquial, El Salvador) strict, severe in discipline.

   Synonym: estricto

   La maestra suele ser bien yuca con sus clases.

   The teacher tends to be very strict with her classes.

3. (colloquial, El Salvador) smart and skillful.

   Synonyms: inteligente, habilidoso

   Ese chico es muy yuca para las matemáticas.

   That boy is so smart (skillfull) at mathematics.

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: ю́ка (júka)

Further reading

• “yuca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014