Note 117 — Chapter XIV

It has obtained the name of formiga de roça. The word roça means literally a piece of land that has been planted, of which the native wood has been cut down and cleared away. But at the present day, in Pernambuco, the word roça is applied to the mandioc plant exclusively; thus a peasant will say “hum bom roçado de roça,” a good field of mandioc. The word roçado is used in speaking of any kind of field; as for instance, a fine roçado for cotton,—a fine roçado for cane, &c.