Te
/tiː/noun
An archaic or dialectal variant spelling of tea, the beverage made by infusing the leaves of Camellia sinensis.
Did you know?English tea-words split into two major historical families: forms like “te” came through coastal Chinese and Dutch, while “chai” traveled through northern Chinese and Persian trade networks.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
茶 (chá)
“Tea; the prepared drink or tea plant”
17th Century
Min Nan Chinese
te
“Tea, pronounced in a southern Chinese variety spoken in port regions”
17th Century
Dutch
thee
“Tea, borrowed through maritime trade with China”
17th Century
English
tea / te
“Tea; English adopted both the Dutch-influenced form and the shorter variant spelling”
Modern English
English
te
“An archaic, dialectal, or historical spelling of tea”