kava Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an alcoholic drink made from the aromatic roots of the kava shrub
    kavakava.

WordNet

Ka"va noun
Etymology
Polynesian.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A species of Macropiper (M. methysticum), the long pepper, from the root of which an intoxicating beverage is made by the Polynesians, by a process of mastication; also, the beverage itself. Written also kawa, kava, and ava.

Webster 1913