DictionaryAI

tea

SayTEE/ti//tiː/

Pluralteas (some meanings)

14 meanings of tea

Practice

  1. 1
    brewed drinknoununcountable
    A drink made by soaking the dried leaves or buds of the tea plant in hot water; also, a cup or glass of it, as in two teas, please.

    The waiter brought a pot of tea and two small cups.

    Strong tea kept her awake through the long night shift.

    UsageSay a cup of tea, or two teas when ordering. You make, drink or have tea.

  2. 2
    dried leavesnoununcountable
    The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant; in countable use, a particular variety of leaf.

    She measured a spoonful of tea into the warmed pot.

    The merchant blended several teas to create his house mixture.

    UsageMeasured in amounts such as a spoonful of tea or a packet of tea.

    Note

    The leaf as trade goods is also the tea of the old refusal "not for all the tea in China," a way of saying no price would change your mind.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • The refusal “not for all the tea in China” invokes valuable tea and means that no price would persuade someone. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    nouncountable or uncountable
    A drink made like tea by soaking other plant material, such as herbs, flowers, fruit, or roasted grain, in hot water, as in mint, chamomile, or barley tea.

    Many Korean restaurants serve chilled tea brewed from roasted corn kernels instead of water.

    Visitors are offered a cloudy barley tea on arrival.

  4. 4
    plantnoununcountable
    An evergreen shrub (Camellia sinensis) whose leaves and buds are dried to make a hot drink.

    Workers planted rows of tea along the terraced hillside.

    Cool, misty highlands are well suited to growing tea.

    Note

    Most other meanings of the word grow from this shrub. English has the word from about 1655, in the English translation of Álvaro Semedo's history of China. Counted, the noun names a variety of the plant, as when growers compare several teas on one estate.

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • The English word is first recorded around 1655 in a translation of Álvaro Semedo's writings. en.wiktionary.org
    • Álvaro Semedo wrote a history of China whose English translation appeared in 1655. en.wikipedia.org
  5. 5
    afternoon mealnounUKuncountable
    A light midafternoon meal in British usage, typically though not always taken with a cup of tea.

    Every afternoon at four, my grandmother laid out tea: buttered scones, jam, and a sponge cake.

    Halfway through the afternoon, they stopped weeding and sat down to a tea of sandwiches and fruit cake.

    UsageUsually used without an article: have tea, at tea, for tea.

    Note

    Here the word has left the cup behind and names a British meal. C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian (1951) imagines an afternoon ramble ending in a "picnic tea." Stephen Fry's The Liar (1991) makes tea a public-school institution built around toast. Elsewhere the word names the main evening meal, so the hour depends on the speaker.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • C. S. Lewis wrote Prince Caspian, first published in 1951. fadedpage.com
    • The narrator imagines an afternoon ramble ending in a picnic tea. fadedpage.com
    • Stephen Fry wrote The Liar, first published in 1991. en.wikipedia.org
    • The Liar depicts school tea as an institution centred on toast. en.wiktionary.org
  6. 6
    nouncountable
    A party or reception held in the afternoon, often a formal one or a fundraiser, where guests are given tea and light food.

    The museum hosted a tea for its largest donors in the sculpture garden.

    The new principal was welcomed at a faculty tea in the school library.

    UsageUsed with host or hold: host a tea, hold a charity tea, a faculty tea.

    Similarreception, party

    Note

    It overlaps with the light afternoon meal but is hosted and social rather than domestic. Americans often call an elegant one a high tea, though in Britain high tea traditionally meant a hearty early-evening meal, so the fancy version is properly afternoon tea.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • In Britain, high tea traditionally meant a hearty early-evening meal. deseret.com

Practice

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Origin

Dutch thee, the source of the English word, came from Hokkien 茶 (tê) as spoken in Amoy, which goes back to Old Chinese and perhaps ultimately to a Proto-Sino-Tibetan root *s-la ("leaf, tea"). The word is first recorded around 1655. The Dutch East India Company, which bought its tea in Amoy, carried the word into English and several other languages of Western Europe. Chai and cha are doublets that reached English from the same root through other Sinitic languages.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 8 facts

  • English tea derives from Dutch thee. en.wiktionary.org
  • Dutch thee derives from Hokkien tê, associated with the Amoy dialect, and ultimately from Old Chinese. en.wiktionary.org
  • A proposed ultimate source is Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-la, meaning leaf or tea. en.wiktionary.org
  • The English word tea is first recorded around 1655. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Dutch East India Company sourced tea in Amoy and spread the word to English and other Western European languages. en.wikipedia.org
  • Amoy was a principal contact point for Dutch tea traders. wals.info
  • Chai is an English doublet of tea, ultimately derived from Sinitic cha. en.wiktionary.org
  • Cha is an English doublet of tea, derived through Chinese pronunciations other than Amoy tê. en.wiktionary.org