/ tiː; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U ] the dried leaves, (called tea leaves ), of the tea bush
—see also green tea
2.
[ U ] a hot drink made by pouring boiling water onto tea leaves. It may be drunk with milk or lemon and/or sugar added :
a cup / mug / pot of tea
lemon / iced tea
Would you like tea or coffee?
Do you take sugar in your tea?
3.
[ C ] a cup of tea :
Two teas, please.
4.
[ U , C ] a hot drink made by pouring boiling water onto the leaves of other plants :
chamomile / mint / herb, etc. tea
—see also beef tea
5.
[ U , C ] the name used by some people in Britain for the cooked meal eaten in the evening, especially when it is eaten early in the evening :
You can have your tea as soon as you come home from school.
—compare dinner , supper
6.
[ U , C ] ( BrE ) a light meal eaten in the afternoon or early evening, usually with sandwiches and/or biscuits and cakes and with tea to drink
—see also cream tea , high tea ➡ note at meal
•
IDIOMS
- not for all the tea in China
—more at cup noun
For more information see the Cultural Guide
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: probably via Malay from Chinese ( Min dialect ) te ; related to Mandarin chá . Compare with char (noun - sense 2).