A strong alcoholic beverage made from cassava root by indigenous peoples of South America, particularly in Brazil.
From Tupi language 'caxi' or 'caxiri,' spoken by indigenous Brazilian peoples. The word entered English through Portuguese colonial accounts and anthropological documentation of Amazonian cultures.
Indigenous peoples fermented cassava root into a drink for ceremonies and celebrations—when Europeans showed up with their own booze, this word got recorded by colonizers who were fascinated by 'exotic' beverages they'd never encountered!
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