tea
/tiː/
noun
Origin
Proto-Sino-Tibetan
*s-la — leaf, tea
Overview
Meaning Now
- a hot drink made from the leaves of the tea plant
- an afternoon social gathering at which tea is served
Language path
Proto-Sino-Tibetan → Old Chinese → Min Nan → Dutch → English
Earliest form
thee
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
Introduced to English and other Western European languages by the Dutch East India Company, who sourced their tea in Amoy.
Evolution
- 17th century
thee
“tea”
- 19th century
tea
“tea”
Connections
Word parts
tea
root
tea
Related across languages
Dutch
thee
tea
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.