Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kava

/kɑː.və/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.43 in modern English

Syllables: ka-va
IPA: /kɑː.və/

11

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any member of the species Piper methysticum, a plant from the South Pacific.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An intoxicating beverage made from the kava plant.

Countable; Uncountable

name

Example Sentences

"The roots produce a liqueur called kava. Kava has a mild aphrodisiac effect."
"The Nationals MP suffered the consequences of drinking an entire shell of sakau – a traditional Micronesian kava with sedative qualities made from the root of the pepper plant – in one hit, thinking it was similar to South Pacific kava. […] While not alcoholic, sakau – like other kavas served throughout the Pacific region – is known for its narcotic sedative effect."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ Proto-Polynesian *kawa Tongan kavader. English kava From Tongan kava, in turn from Proto-Polynesian *kawa. Doublet of ʻawa, ava, kawa, and yava.

Origin

Source language: Polish

Word Breakdown

Root: kava, *kawa, Kawa, *kavъka

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /kɑː.və/

Usage

Inflected Forms

kavas (plural) ava (alternative) kawa (alternative) ʻawa (alternative) yava (alternative)

Derived Forms

kavalactone kavapyrone

Phrases

kavaic acid

Frequently Paired Words

kavakava

Synonyms

kavakava

Rhymes With

java lava ava cassava cava guava brava balaclava baklava slava fava ottava

Questions

How do you pronounce kava?: The recorded pronunciation is /kɑː.və/.
What does kava mean?: Any member of the species Piper methysticum, a plant from the South Pacific.
Where does kava come from?: It is traced to Polish.

How to pronounce kava

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kava”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kɑː.və/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kava”.
Repeat and practice — Say “kava” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.