Tay
/teɪ/noun
A Scots form of “tea,” the beverage made by infusing dried leaves of the tea plant in hot water.
Did you know?English “tea” and “tay” belong to the te-family spread through maritime trade, while words such as “cha” and “chai” traveled overland from a different Chinese pronunciation.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
Min Chinese
te
“A form of the word for the tea plant and its prepared drink, used in coastal China.”
17th Century
Dutch
thee
“The Dutch trading form borrowed from Chinese te.”
17th Century
English
tea
“The beverage and its leaves, borrowed through Dutch and other European trade connections.”
18th Century
Scots
tay
“A Scots spelling and pronunciation variant of tea.”
Modern English
English
tay
“A chiefly Scottish form of “tea,” also occurring in the proper name of Scotland’s River Tay.”