n 1 a  :  any plant of the genus Maranta (as the widely cultivated M. arundinacea)  b  :  a plant or root yielding arrowroot starch  2 a  :  an easily digested starch obtained from the rootstock of an arrowroot (M. arundinacea) that is used esp. in foods prepared for children and invalids  b  :  any of various starches used as substitutes for arrowroot and obtained from other plants of the genus Maranta or from plants of other genera (as Zamia, Curcuma, Tacca, Canna, and Musa) .
 
    
 
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