I. ˈtē noun
( -s )
Etymology: Tahitian, Marquesan, Samoan, & Maori
1. or ki ˈkē : any of several Asiatic and Pacific trees or shrubs of the genus Cordyline: as
a. : a medium-sized New Zealand tree ( C. australis ) having either a single trunk with a terminal tuft of elongated often varicolored leaves or a branching trunk with each branch similarly crowned and having very large panicles of tiny creamy white or bluish globose berries
b. : a variable woody plant ( C. terminalis ) with terminal tufts of elongated leaves that are used locally for thatching, clothing, and food wrappers and thick sweet roots that are used as food or as the base of an intoxicating beverage
2.
[by shortening & alteration]
: tea tree 2a
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: alteration of si
: the seventh tone of the diatonic scale in solmization
III. noun
( plural ti or tis )
Usage: usually capitalized
1. : an early Tatar people related to the Hsiung-Nu
2. : a member of the Ti people