kava

noun

ka·​va ˈkä-və 

1

: an Australasian shrubby pepper (Piper methysticum) from whose crushed root an intoxicating beverage is made

also : the beverage made from kava

2

: the dried rhizome and roots of the kava used especially as a dietary supplement chiefly to relieve stress and anxiety

Examples of kava in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The city’s quiet kava crackdown started in November 2022, when the Health Department issued a summons to KavaSutra, a kava bar on First Street. —Chris Crowley, Curbed, 15 July 2024

There was fresh tuna and limpet poke, Burmese tea leaf salad, and lots of kava tea. —Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2024

At night, guests are invited to sit with the entire staff for a traditional taste of kava, a beverage made from water and the ground root of the pepper plant. —David Hochman, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Talk to your healthcare provider before consuming kava. —Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Tongan & Marquesan, literally, bitter

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing kava

• kava kava

Medical Definition

kava

noun

ka·​va ˈkäv-ə 

1

: an Australasian shrubby pepper (Piper methysticum) from whose crushed root an intoxicating beverage is made

also : the beverage

2

: a preparation consisting of the ground dried rhizome and roots of the kava plant that is used as a dietary supplement chiefly to relieve stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness and in folk medicine especially as a diuretic and urogenital antiseptic and that has been linked to cases of severe liver injury