Etymology Map
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Pu-erh

2 stages from Chinese to English.

Today it means a fermented, aged variety of Chinese tea named after the Yunnan trading town where it was historically sold

Where does the word "pu-erh" come from? It comes from Chinese Pǔ'ěr, adopted directly into English (late 1900s-2000s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
Pǔ'ěr
Chinese · ancient
"a city and trading center in Yunnan"
the name of a trading town in Yunnan province where the fermented tea was historically sold
2
Stage 2 of 2
pu-erh
English · late 1900s-2000s
"a fermented and aged variety of dark Chinese tea"
borrowed by tea merchants as the fermented, aged tea gained an international following
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