kava

[ kah-vuh ]

noun
  1. a Polynesian shrub, Piper methysticum, of the pepper family, the aromatic roots of which are used to make an intoxicating beverage.

  2. the beverage made from these roots.

Origin of kava

1
1810–20; <Polynesian (first recorded from Tonga Islands)
  • Also called ka·va·ka·va, kava-kava.

Other words from kava

  • Ka·va·ic [kuh-vey-ik], /kəˈveɪ ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby kava

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use kava in a sentence

  • They were making kava (or ava or yangana), the native drink.

    The Pacific Triangle | Sydney Greenbie
  • When preparing for war a piece of green kava was bound on either side of the spear-point to strike the enemy with blindness.

    Savage Island | Basil C. Thomson

British Dictionary definitions for kava

kava

/ (ˈkɑːvə) /


noun
  1. a Polynesian shrub, Piper methysticum: family Piperaceae

  2. a drink prepared from the aromatic roots of this shrub

Origin of kava

1
C18: from Polynesian (Tongan): bitter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012