n.
Pronunciation: ' kä-v ə
Function: noun
Etymology: Tongan & Marquesan, literally, bitter
Date: 1810
1 : an Australasian shrubby pepper ( Piper methysticum ) from whose crushed root an intoxicating beverage is made also : the beverage made from kava
2 : the dried rhizome and roots of the kava used especially as a dietary supplement chiefly to relieve stress and anxiety