tea   (tē)    n.   An eastern Asian evergreen shrub or small tree (Camellia sinensis) having fragrant, nodding, cup-shaped white flowers and glossy leaves. The young, dried leaves of this plant, prepared by various processes and used to make a hot beverage. An afternoon refreshment consisting usually of sandwiches and cakes served with tea. High tea. An aromatic, slightly bitter beverage made by steeping tea leaves in boiling water. Any of various beverages, made as by steeping the leaves of certain plants or by extracting an infusion especially from beef. Any of various plants having leaves used to make a tealike beverage. A tea rose. Chiefly British An afternoon refreshment consisting usually of sandwiches and cakes served with tea. High tea. An afternoon reception or social gathering at which tea is served. Slang Marijuana. [Probably Dutch thee, from Malay teh, from Chinese (Amoy) te (equivalent to Chinese (Mandarin) chá).] Word History: "Here thou, great Anna! whom three realms obey,/ Dost sometimes counsel take—and sometimes tea." When Alexander Pope wrote these lines from The Rape of the Lock in 1714, tea still rhymed with obey. This was true of many words spelled with ea, and it was just about in Pope's time that nearly all these words started changing their pronunciation from (ā) to (ē), as in our modern pronunciation of tea (tē). Most modern English words whose main vowel sound is spelled -ea- were pronounced with long vowels in Middle and Old English. Many of these vowels were shortened in the 16th and 17th century to their modern pronunciations, as in our words dead and sweat. But those words that were pronounced with an (ā) sound in Middle English did not undergo this sound change and kept their long vowels, undergoing the further change in Pope's time to the modern "long e" sound. There were several exceptions to this last sound change, most notably the words break, great, and steak. Interestingly, the old pronunciation is also retained in Irish family names, such as Reagan, Shea, Beatty, and Yeats (in contrast to British family names such as Keats).

Tea

Tea\, n. [Chin. tsh[=a], Prov. Chin. te: cf. F. th['e].]

1. The prepared leaves of a shrub, or small tree (Thea, or Camellia, Chinensis). The shrub is a native of China, but has been introduced to some extent into some other countries.

Note: Teas are classed as green or black, according to their color or appearance, the kinds being distinguished also by various other characteristic differences, as of taste, odor, and the like. The color, flavor, and quality are dependent upon the treatment which the leaves receive after being gathered. The leaves for green tea are heated, or roasted slightly, in shallow pans over a wood fire, almost immediately after being gathered, after which they are rolled with the hands upon a table, to free them from a portion of their moisture, and to twist them, and are then quickly dried. Those intended for black tea are spread out in the air for some time after being gathered, and then tossed about with the hands until they become soft and flaccid, when they are roasted for a few minutes, and rolled, and having then been exposed to the air for a few hours in a soft and moist state, are finally dried slowly over a charcoal fire. The operation of roasting and rolling is sometimes repeated several times, until the leaves have become of the proper color. The principal sorts of green tea are Twankay, the poorest kind; Hyson skin, the refuse of Hyson; Hyson, Imperial, and Gunpowder, fine varieties; and Young Hyson, a choice kind made from young leaves gathered early in the spring. Those of black tea are Bohea, the poorest kind; Congou; Oolong; Souchong, one of the finest varieties; and Pekoe, a fine-flavored kind, made chiefly from young spring buds. See Bohea, Congou, Gunpowder tea, under Gunpowder, Hyson, Oolong, and Souchong. --K. Johnson. Tomlinson.

Note: "No knowledge of . . . [tea] appears to have reached Europe till after the establishment of intercourse between Portugal and China in 1517. The Portuguese, however, did little towards the introduction of the herb into Europe, and it was not till the Dutch established themselves at Bantam early in 17th century, that these adventurers learned from the Chinese the habit of tea drinking, and brought it to Europe." --Encyc. Brit.

2. A decoction or infusion of tea leaves in boiling water; as, tea is a common beverage.

3. Any infusion or decoction, especially when made of the dried leaves of plants; as, sage tea; chamomile tea; catnip tea.

4. The evening meal, at which tea is usually served; supper.

Arabian tea, the leaves of Catha edulis; also (Bot.), the plant itself. See Kat.

Assam tea, tea grown in Assam, in India, originally brought there from China about the year 1850.

Australian, or Botany Bay, tea (Bot.), a woody clambing plant (Smilax glycyphylla).

Brazilian tea. (a) The dried leaves of Lantana pseodothea, used in Brazil as a substitute for tea. (b) The dried leaves of Stachytarpheta mutabilis, used for adulterating tea, and also, in Austria, for preparing a beverage.

Labrador tea. (Bot.) See under Labrador.

New Jersey tea (Bot.), an American shrub, the leaves of which were formerly used as a substitute for tea; redroot. See Redroot.

New Zealand tea. (Bot.) See under New Zealand.

Oswego tea. (Bot.) See Oswego tea.

Paraguay tea, mate. See 1st Mate.

Tea board, a board or tray for holding a tea set.

Tea bug (Zo["o]l.), an hemipterous insect which injures the tea plant by sucking the juice of the tender leaves.

Tea caddy, a small box for holding tea.

Tea chest, a small, square wooden case, usually lined with sheet lead or tin, in which tea is imported from China.

Tea clam (Zo["o]l.), a small quahaug. [Local, U. S.]

Tea garden, a public garden where tea and other refreshments are served.

Tea plant (Bot.), any plant, the leaves of which are used in making a beverage by infusion; specifically, Thea Chinensis, from which the tea of commerce is obtained.

Tea rose (Bot.), a delicate and graceful variety of the rose (Rosa Indica, var. odorata), introduced from China, and so named from its scent. Many varieties are now cultivated.

Tea service, the appurtenances or utensils required for a tea table, -- when of silver, usually comprising only the teapot, milk pitcher, and sugar dish.

Tea set, a tea service.

Tea table, a table on which tea furniture is set, or at which tea is drunk.

Tea taster, one who tests or ascertains the quality of tea by tasting.

Tea tree (Bot.), the tea plant of China. See Tea plant, above.

Tea urn, a vessel generally in the form of an urn or vase, for supplying hot water for steeping, or infusing, tea.

tea 

Main Entry: tea
Pronunciation: 'tE
Function: noun
1 a : a shrub (Camellia sinensis of the family Theaceae, the tea family) cultivatedespecially in China, Japan, and the East Indies b : the prepared and cured leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the tea plant
2 : a mildly stimulating aromaticbeverage prepared from tea leaves by infusion with boiling water
3 : any of various plants resembling tea in properties; also : an infusion of their leaves usedmedicinally or as a beverage

tea

see cup of tea; not for all the tea in china; tempest in a teapot.

TEA torque equilibrium attitude