Main Entry:

ka·va

Pronunciation:

\ˈkä-və\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Tongan & Marquesan, literally, bitter

Date:

1810

1: an Australasian shrubby pepper (Piper methysticum) from whose crushed root an intoxicating beverage is made ; also : the beverage made from kava2: the dried rhizome and roots of the kava used especially as a dietary supplement chiefly to relieve stress and anxiety