tea
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Originally from Min Nan (POJ: tê, Chinese: 茶), from Middle Chinese, from Old Chinese, ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-la (“leaf, tea”). The word was brought to the West by the Dutch East India Company as thee, the Dutch approximation of the Min Nan pronunciation (compare the Malay word teh). The Mandarin pronunciation (chá) of the same Chinese character (茶) is the source of the English word chai and the Russian and Arabic words for tea. ("The World Atlas of Language Structures Online" has a special chapter dedicated to the origin of the word for tea in different languages: [1].)
Pronunciation [edit]
- enPR: tē, IPA: /tiː/, X-SAMPA: /ti:/
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Audio (US) (file) -
Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -iː
- Homophones: T, te, tee, ti
Noun [edit]
tea (countable and uncountable; plural teas)
- (uncountable) The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis.
- Go to the supermarket and buy some tea.
- (uncountable) The drink made by infusing these dried leaves or buds in hot water.
- Would you like some tea?
- (countable) A variety of the tea plant
- Darjeeling is a tea from India.
- (uncountable) By extension, any drink made by infusing parts of various other plants.
- camomile tea
- (countable, Australia, UK, Canada, New Zealand, northern US) A cup of any one of these drinks, often with a small amount of milk or cream added and sweetened with sugar or honey.
- (countable, southern US) A glass of iced tea, typically served with ice cubes and sometimes with a slice or wedge of lemon.
- (uncountable, UK) A light meal eaten mid-afternoon, typically with tea.
- Kids, your tea’s on the table!
- (uncountable, New Zealand, UK, Australia) The main evening meal, irrespective of whether tea is drunk with it.
- The family were sitting round the table, having their tea.
- (cricket) The break in play between the second and third sessions.
- Australia were 490 for 7 at tea on the second day.
- (slang, dated) Marijuana.
- 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin 2010, p. 103:
- 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 […].
- 1946, Mezz Mezzrow and Bernard Wolfe, Really the Blues, Payback Press 1999, p. 74:
- Tea puts a musician in a real masterly sphere, and that's why so many jazzmen have used it.
- 1947, William Burroughs, letter, 11 Mar 1947:
- Here in Texas possession of tea is a felony calling for 2 years.
- 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin 2010, p. 103:
Usage notes [edit]
In many places tea is assumed to mean hot tea, while in the southern United States, it is assumed to mean iced tea.
Synonyms [edit]
- (dried leaves of tea plant): tea leaves
- (drink made by infusing parts of various other plants): herb tea, herbal tea, infusion, tisane
Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from tea (noun)
Translations [edit]
dried leaves of tea plant
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drink made from leaves of tea plant
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cup of this drink
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drink made from other plants
cup of drink made from other plants
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light afternoon meal
main evening meal — see dinner
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
Verb [edit]
tea (third-person singular simple present teas, present participle teaing, simple past and past participle teaed)
- To drink tea
- To take afternoon tea (the light meal)
Anagrams [edit]
Galician [edit]
Noun [edit]
tea f (plural teas)
Hungarian [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From New Latin thea, from Dutch thee, from Min Nan 茶 (tê, “tea”).
Pronunciation [edit]
- IPA: /ˈtɛjɒ/
- Hyphenation: tea
Noun [edit]
tea (plural teák)
Declension [edit]
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declension of tea
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Derived terms [edit]
- Compound words
Maori [edit]
Adjective [edit]
tea
Derived terms [edit]
Rapa Nui [edit]
Noun [edit]
tea
Derived terms [edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from Min Nan
- English terms derived from Proto-Sino-Tibetan
- English terms with homophones
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- Australian English
- British English
- Canadian English
- New Zealand English
- American English
- Southern US English
- en:Cricket
- English slang
- English dated terms
- English verbs
- en:Beverages
- en:Marijuana
- en:Meals
- en:Tea
- Galician nouns
- Hungarian terms derived from New Latin
- Hungarian terms derived from Dutch
- Hungarian terms derived from Min Nan
- Hungarian nouns
- Hungarian three-letter words
- hu:Beverages
- hu:Tea
- Maori adjectives
- Rapa Nui nouns
