Tea Definition

tē

noun

A white-flowered, evergreen plant (Camellia sinensis) of the tea family, grown in China, India, Japan, etc.

Webster's New World

Its dried and prepared leaves, used to make a beverage.

Webster's New World

The beverage made by soaking such leaves in boiling water.

Webster's New World

Any of several plants resembling or used as tea.

Webster's New World

Any of various beverages made by steeping the leaves of certain plants, such as peppermint.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

adjective

Designating a family (Theaceae, order Theales) of evergreen dicotyledonous trees, shrubs, or vines, often with showy flowers, found in warm regions and including the camellias and loblolly bay.

Webster's New World

verb

To drink tea.

Wiktionary

To take afternoon tea (the light meal).

Wiktionary

pronoun

A city in South Dakota.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Tea

Noun

Singular:

tea

Plural:

teas

Origin of Tea

Probably Dutch thee from Malay teh from Amoy te (equivalent to Mandarin chá) from dialectal Early Middle Chinese daɨ akin to Middle Chinese drƐː (source of Mandarin chá tea) chanoyu

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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. Ultimately cognate to chai, from same Proto-Sino-Tibetan root; see discussion of cognates.

From Wiktionary
Circa 1650, from Dutch thee, from Min Nan 茶 (tê) (Amoy dialect), from Proto-Min, from Old Chinese, ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-la (“leaf, tea").

From Wiktionary