tea

tea
tea (n.) 1650s, earlier chaa (1590s, from Port. cha), from Malay teh and directly from Chinese (Amoy dialect) t'e, in Mandarin ch'a. First known in Paris 1635, the practice of drinking tea was first introduced to England 1644.
The distribution of the different forms of the word reflects the spread of use of the beverage. The modern English form, along with Fr. thé, Sp. te, Ger. Tee, etc., derive via Du. thee from the Amoy form, reflecting the role of the Dutch as the chief importers of the leaves (through the Dutch East India Company, from 1610). The Portuguese word (attested from 1550s) came via Macao; and Rus. chai, Pers. cha, Gk. tsai, Arabic shay, and Turk. çay all came overland from the Mandarin form.
Meaning "afternoon meal at which tea is served" is from 1738. Slang meaning "marijuana" (which sometimes was brewed in hot water) is attested from 1935, felt as obsolete by late 1960s. Tea ball is from 1895.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
(especially of the dried leaves of the tea-plant), / ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tea — (t[=e]), n. [Chin. tsh[=a], Prov. Chin. te: cf. F. th[ e].] 1. The prepared leaves of a shrub, or small tree ({Thea Chinensis} or {Camellia Chinensis}). The shrub is a native of China, but has been introduced to some extent into some other… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tea — [ ti ] noun ** 1. ) uncount a hot brown drink made by pouring boiling water onto the dried leaves of the tea bush. The leaves are called tea leaves and can be bought in small paper bags called tea bags that are put into a cup or teapot: Do you… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • tea — W2S1 [ti:] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(drink/leaves)¦ 2 mint/camomile etc tea 3¦(meal)¦ 4 tea and sympathy ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1600 1700; : Chinese; Origin: te] 1.) ¦(DRINK/LEAVES)¦ a) [U and C] a …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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  • tea — (tē) n. 1. a) An evergreen shrub or small tree (Camellia sinensis) native to Asia, having fragrant, nodding, cup shaped white flowers and glossy leaves. b) The young, dried leaves of this plant, prepared by various processes and used to make a… …   Word Histories

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  • tea — [tē] n. [Amoy Chin t e (Mandarin ch a)] 1. a white flowered, evergreen plant (Camellia sinensis) of the tea family, grown in China, India, Japan, etc. 2. its dried and prepared leaves, used to make a beverage 3. the beverage made by soaking such… …   English World dictionary

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