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

For those familiar with the muddy taste of kava, that's completely absent here. —Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Many are drawn to the community of the kava house and end up coming back for more. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2025

The largest kava root was then broken, pounded and mixed with water in the bowl. —Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 21 June 2024

Buzzes Without Booze Image Drinks spiked with cannabis and other mood-altering components like kava, guarana and a brain-calming amino acid known as GABA will explode as interest in alcohol declines, especially among Gen Zers. —Kim Severson, New York Times, 31 Dec. 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