Kava
/ˈkɑː.və/noun
A ceremonial, mildly sedative drink made from the powdered root of the kava plant.
Did you know?In many Pacific societies, preparing and sharing kava was a formal ceremonial act connected with chiefs, diplomacy, hospitality, and communication with the sacred world.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*kawa
“Possibly “bitter”; the reconstructed ancestral form behind several Polynesian words for kava”
Early Polynesian
Polynesian
*kava
“The kava plant or its prepared drink”
Pre-European Polynesia
Tongan
kava
“The kava plant and its ceremonial beverage”
Pre-European Polynesia
Samoan
ʻava
“Kava drink; the initial glottal sound is represented by the ʻ symbol”
18th Century
Hawaiian
ʻawa
“Kava, especially the plant and its intoxicating preparation”
1770s
English
kava
“A Polynesian intoxicating or ceremonial drink, recorded in English accounts of Pacific voyages”
Modern English
English
kava
“A widely marketed herbal beverage associated with relaxation and traditional Pacific ceremony”