The plural of tea, referring to the dried leaves of the tea plant used to make a hot beverage, or the drink itself.
From Chinese 'te' or 'cha,' the word entered English through Portuguese and Dutch traders in the 1600s. Different languages borrowed it differently—some got the Cantonese 'cha' while English speakers got the Fujian 'te.'
The word 'tea' took completely different paths around the world—while English speakers say 'tea,' Spanish and French say 'té,' but Russians and Indians say variations of 'chai.' One plant, one leaf, dozens of words across languages!
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