Main Entry: ka·va

Pronunciation: \ˈkäv-ə\

Function: noun

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