tea

Where does the word "tea" come from? It comes from Min Chinese (Amoy) te, passing through Malay and Dutch before entering English (1650s).

Tea’s story begins in Min Chinese (Amoy): te meant “tea.” The pronunciation used in the Fujian coastal dialect of Chinese traders. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Malay as teh. Picked up by Dutch traders at Southeast Asian ports. From there it passed into Dutch as thee by 1600s. Spread across Europe through Dutch East India Company trade. It reached English by 1650s as tea. 'te' came by sea through Dutch traders from Amoy; overland routes spread 'cha' to Russia, Persia and India. Today, tea means a hot drink made by infusing dried tea leaves in water.

1. Stage 1 · Min Chinese (Amoy) · 1600s te "tea", the pronunciation used in the Fujian coastal dialect of Chinese traders.
2. Stage 2 · Malay · 1600s teh "tea", picked up by Dutch traders at Southeast Asian ports.
3. Stage 3 · Dutch · 1600s thee "tea", spread across Europe through Dutch East India Company trade.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1650s tea "the tea drink", 'te' came by sea through Dutch traders from Amoy; overland routes spread 'cha' to Russia, Persia and India.