kava
Americannoun
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a Polynesian shrub, Piper methysticum, of the pepper family, the aromatic roots of which are used to make an intoxicating beverage.
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the beverage made from these roots.
noun
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a Polynesian shrub, Piper methysticum: family Piperaceae
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a drink prepared from the aromatic roots of this shrub
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of kava
1810–20; < Polynesian (first recorded from Tonga Islands)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Photos showed Albanese sipping Fiji's traditional kava drink at a welcome ceremony before the alliance was signed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
In 1915, Hollmann was the acting assistant surgeon at Hawaii’s Leprosy Investigation Station when he was given a copy of Ball’s master’s thesis, a 44-page analysis of the kava plant’s chemical properties.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2023
I purchase Polynesian kava powder and make a drink the old-fashioned way.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2021
“In areas with tree cover, the kava was saved since the trees created natural windbreaks, branches that fell formed a protective blanket. But where there were no trees the crops were completely uprooted,” he said.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 19, 2020
And everywhere could be heard the tap tap of the kava stones, and the rhythmic beating out of the “tapa.”
From Stevenson's Shrine The Record of a Pilgrimage by Stubbs, Laura
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
