From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtapiocatap‧i‧o‧ca /ˌtæpiˈəʊkə $ -ˈoʊ-/ noun [uncountable] DFsmall hard white grains made from the crushed dried roots of cassava, or a dessert made from cooking this
Examples from the Corpus
tapioca• On our right rose Kitchen Mesa, shimmering in rich tones of cinnamon, burnt orange and tapioca.• I mean, I don't know why he bothered coming round: he didn't know goose shit from tapioca.• A badly-balanced packet of tapioca crashed from shelf to floor and burst open like a ripe seed-pod.• Those who could feed themselves had at least had the choice of not eating the tapioca that they disliked and going hungry.Origin tapioca (1600-1700) Spanish and Portuguese, from Tupi typyóca 