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Definition of "kava" []

  • A dioecious shrub (Piper methysticum) native to the Pacific islands, having cordate leaves and minute flowers clustered in solitary spikes. (noun)
  • A dietary supplement derived from the roots of this plant, used as a sedative. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "kava" in a sentence
  • "The findings underscore the need to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of such therapies, especially given the findings that some Americans are continuing to try products such as kava kava, which is used to treat anxiety but has been linked to possible liver problems, officials said."
  • "After the feast was over, we had kava, and the calling of the kava was a very elaborate affair, and I thought had like to have made"
  • "Again a beautiful tappa cloth was spread for me, and then ten maidens entered, and, sitting in a semi-circle, began to chew a root called kava, which, when sufficiently masticated, they returned into a calabash, water being poured on the result."