# tea

Pronunciation: say "TEE" US /ti/, UK /tiː/

## Noun

1. 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.
   - Simple: A drink made by soaking dried tea leaves in hot water, served hot or cold.
   - _The waiter brought a pot of tea and two small cups._
   - _Strong tea kept her awake through the long night shift._
2. The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant; in countable use, a particular variety of leaf.
   - Simple: Dried leaves from the tea plant that you soak in hot water to make a drink.
   - _She measured a spoonful of tea into the warmed pot._
   - _The merchant blended several teas to create his house mixture._
3. 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.
   - Simple: A drink made like tea but from other plants, such as mint, chamomile, or barley.
   - _Many Korean restaurants serve chilled tea brewed from roasted corn kernels instead of water._
   - _Visitors are offered a cloudy barley tea on arrival._
4. An evergreen shrub (Camellia sinensis) whose leaves and buds are dried to make a hot drink.
   - Simple: A bush whose leaves are dried and used to make a hot drink.
   - _Workers planted rows of tea along the terraced hillside._
   - _Cool, misty highlands are well suited to growing tea._
5. A light midafternoon meal in British usage, typically though not always taken with a cup of tea. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A small afternoon meal, usually eaten 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._
7. Gossip or interesting private information, especially when shared or sought out. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Gossip or interesting news, especially about other people.
   - _Everyone leaned in once she promised to dish the tea._
   - _He texted me the tea about who got fired this week._
6. A party or reception held in the afternoon, often a formal one or a fundraiser, where guests are given tea and light food.
   - Simple: A party in the afternoon, often formal or held to raise money, 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._
8. The main evening meal, regardless of whether the drink tea is served with it. *(Commonwealth, Ireland)*
   - Simple: The main evening meal, with or without a drink of tea.
   - _The whole family sat down to tea once Dad got home._
   - _She put a hearty stew on for tea after the cold day outside._
9. In cricket, the interval between the second and third sessions of a day's play.
   - Simple: The afternoon break in a cricket match, taken between the second and third parts of play.
   - _The home side had reached 200 by tea on the first day._
   - _Rain delayed play, so tea was taken earlier than scheduled._

## Adjective

13. Good-looking and sexually attractive. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Very attractive and good-looking.
   - _Everyone agreed the lead singer was effortlessly tea that evening._
   - _He felt tea in his tailored suit and brand-new shoes._

## Verb

10. To drink tea, especially as a habitual or social activity. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To drink tea, often as a habit or a social thing.
12. To serve or provide tea to someone. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To give tea to someone.

## Noun

11. Marijuana; the dried cannabis plant material used as a recreational drug. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Marijuana, the dried cannabis that people smoke.

## Other meanings

- (noun) An old Chinese unit of time, roughly the span needed to quickly drink a cup of tea.

## 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tea (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).