Word: tea Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First appears c. 1655, in the writings of Álvaro Semedo. From Dutch thee, from Hokkien 茶 (tê) (Amoy dialect), from Old Chinese, ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-la (“leaf, tea”). Introduced to English and other Western European languages by the Dutch East India Company, who sourced their tea in Amoy; compare Malay teh along the same trade route. Doublet of chai and cha (and, distantly, the first element of lahpet), from same Proto-Sino-Tibetan root; see discussion of cognates. Cognates The word for “tea” in many languages is of Sinitic origin (due to China being the origin of the plant), and thus there are many cognates; see translations. These are from one of two proximate sources, reflected in the phonological shape: forms with a stop (e.g. /t/) are derived from Min Nan tê, while forms with an affricate (e.g. /tʃ/) are derived from other Sinitic languages, like Mandarin chá or Cantonese caa4 (all written as 茶). Different languages borrowed one or the other form (specific language and point in time varied), reflecting trade ties, generally Min Nan tê if by ocean trade from Fujian, Cantonese caa4 if by ocean trade from Guangdong, or northern Chinese chá if by overland trade or by ocean trade from India. Thus Western and Northern European languages borrowed tê (with the exception of Portuguese, which uses chá; despite being by ocean trade, their source was in Macao, not Amoy), while chá borrowings are used over a very large geographical area of Eurasia and Africa: Southern and Eastern Europe, and on through Turkish, Arabic, North and East Africa, Persian, Central Asian, and Indic languages. In Europe the tê/chá line is Italian/Slovene, Hungarian/Romanian, German/Czech, Polish/Ukrainian, Baltics/Russian, Finnish/Karelian, Northern Sami/Inari Sami. tê was also borrowed in European trade stops in Southern India and coastal Africa, though chá borrowings are otherwise more prevalent in these regions, via Arabic or Indic, due to earlier trade. The situation in Southeast Asia is complex due to multiple influences, and some languages borrowed both forms, such as Malay teh and ca. Etymology 1, noun sense 12 (“information, especially gossip”) may be originally from T standing for truth, which evolved into tea. An alternative explanation dates back to gay African-American culture in the 1970s and alludes to women gossiping over afternoon tea. Pronunciation: /tiː/, [tʰɪj ~ tʰiː], /ti/, [tʰi] 1. The tea plant (Camellia sinensis); (countable) a variety of this plant. Labels: uncountable Example: Darjeeling tea is grown in India. 2. The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant; (countable) a variety of such leaves. Labels: uncountable Example: Go to the supermarket and buy some Darjeeling tea. Example: Not for all the tea in China. 3. The drink made by infusing these dried leaves or buds in hot water. Labels: uncountable Example: Would you like some tea? Example: She is drinking her tea right now. 4. Specifically sweet tea, an iced tea supersaturated with sugar. Labels: Southern-US, countable, uncountable 5. Any drink which is similar to Camellia sinensis tea in some way Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Mushroom Tea / 8 cups water / 1 cup dried reishi mushroom pieces [...] 1. Start by making Reishi Mushroom Tea: Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. 2. Add the reishi mushroom pieces[…] 6. Any drink which is similar to Camellia sinensis tea in some way: Labels: uncountable Example: camomile tea; mint tea Example: Curcuma tea relieves colds[…] 7. Any drink which is similar to Camellia sinensis tea in some way: Labels: in-compounds, uncountable Example: beef tea 8. A cup of any of these drinks, often with milk, sugar, lemon, or tapioca pearls. Labels: Commonwealth, Northern-US, countable Example: We'd like one tea and one coffee, please. 9. A glass of these drinks. Labels: Southern-US, countable, uncountable 10. A light midafternoon meal, typically but not necessarily including tea. Labels: UK, uncountable Example: I won't make it to the breakfast event, but I'll see you at the tea. Example: But the gorge of the Rush was not at all a nice place for travelling either. I mean, it was not a nice place for people in a hurry. For an afternoon's ramble ending in a picnic tea it would have been delightful. 11. Synonym of supper, the main evening meal, whether or not it includes tea. Labels: Commonwealth, Ireland, uncountable Example: The family were sitting round the table, eating their tea. Example: Jacki set about making the tea—bacon grills with chips and bread and butter. 12. The break in play between the second and third sessions. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Australia were 490 for 7 at tea on the second day. Example: As recently as the mid-80s the players would be given a bottle of beer at lunchtime at some county grounds, and "tea" still meant a cup of tea into the 90s. 13. Synonym of marijuana. Labels: countable, dated, slang, uncountable Example: So they were evidence. Evidence of what? That a man occasionally smoked a stick of tea, a man who looked as if any touch of the exotic would appeal to him. On the other hand lots of tough guys smoked marijuana […]. Example: Tea puts a musician in a real masterly sphere, and that's why so many jazzmen have used it. 14. Information, especially gossip. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable Example: Spill the tea on that drama, hon. Example: Now I've told you that I've taken LSD, and you think I'm gonna leap through a window or something like that. And you know why that is, that's because of Art Linkletter's daughter.... But let me give you the tea on her, see, she took LSD, realized she was Art Linkletter's daughter, and threw herself out of the window!