tea
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Originally from the Chinese Min Nan dialect (POJ: tê, Chinese: 茶, bitmap: File:Tea.bmp), the word was brought to the west by the Dutch East India Company with the spelling thee. Many Western languages have this pronunciation at the root of their words for tea. The word for tea in other Chinese dialects such as Mandarin (Pinyin: chá) and Cantonese (Yale: cha4) was also exported as “chai” to many of the Indo-Iranian languages, Russian and Arabic.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
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, often served with milk or cream and sugar added.
- Would you like some tea?
- (countable) A cup of this drink.
- I’d like two teas, please.
- (uncountable) By extension, any drink made by infusing parts of various other plants.
- camomile tea
- (countable) A cup of any one of these drinks.
- (British) (uncountable) A light meal eaten mid-afternoon, typically with tea.
- Kids, your tea’s on the table!
- (New Zealand, British, Australian) (uncountable) 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
[edit] Usage notes
Strictly speaking, "tea" has been reserved for infusions made from leaves of Camellia sinensis. Infusions made from other herbs such as rooibos, mint, and chamomile are called tisanes. Latterly, the word "tea" has been extended to include herbal infusions.
[edit] Synonyms
- (dried leaves of tea plant): tea leaves
- (drink made by infusing parts of various other plants): herb tea, herbal tea, infusion, tisane
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
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[edit] Anagrams
[edit] Galician
[edit] Noun
tea f. (plural teas)
[edit] Hungarian
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈtɛjɒ/
- Hyphenation: tea
[edit] Noun
tea (plural teák)
[edit] Declension
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declension of tea
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[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Maori
[edit] Adjective
tea