kava

noun

ka·va | \ˈkä-və

Definition of kava

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

His wife, Elexa, admitted to throwing kava on them. — Dan Sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Kavasutra Kava Bar pushes back at charges of hate speech, both online and in person, where things got physical," 12 July 2018 One of these post-midnight searches led me to Anima Mundi's Lucid Dreaming Tea, which purportedly promotes sleep and dreams with a potent blend of herbs like ashwagandha, kava, and calea. — The Healthyish Team, Bon Appetit, "The Healthyish Guide to Finally Getting a Good Night's Sleep," 29 May 2018 While kava bars have been common in Hawaii and parts of southern Florida since the early 2000s, New York didn’t have a kava bar until 2015. — Zach Montague, New York Times, "Stressed New Yorkers Take to Kava, ‘Nature’s Xanax’," 21 Dec. 2017 This numbness happens quickly and is the first of kava’s effects. — Rachelle Robinett, Bon Appetit, "This Anxiety-Relieving Drink Wants to Be Your New Glass of Wine," 3 Apr. 2017 Their most popular is kava, which is a root grown in the Pacific Islands. — Kayla O'brien, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Kava bar helps relax the stressed," 13 Oct. 2017 The products include biological molecules such as coenzyme Q10, creatine, glucosamine, omega-3 fatty acids, gingko, kava, milk thistle and many more. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "71% of Americans take dietary supplements, but do we need to?," 5 May 2017 The woman chugging kava with Fijians and braving temple food in Rajasthan. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, "Herman Melville, Volume I," 27 Mar. 2017 VATUKALO, Fiji — Before kava makes its way to a new wave of trendy bars in places like Brooklyn and Berkeley, Calif., it must be nurtured and plucked by people like Livai Tavesivesi. — Serena Solomon, New York Times, "Counting on the Trendy to Revive Kava, a Traditional Drink," 23 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kava.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of kava was in 1810

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More Definitions for kava

kava

noun

ka·va | \ˈkäv-ə

Medical Definition of kava

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