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mat·cha

(mächə)

1. Powdered green tea, used in Japanese tea ceremonies and as a flavoring for sweets and sweet drinks.

2. Tea prepared by mixing such powder with hot water.

[Japanese (now written with the kanji for matsu, to rub, grind + cha, tea) : matsu, end, tip, fine powder, dust (from Early Middle Chinese mat; also the source of Mandarin mò, end, tip, nonessentials) + cha, tea; see CHANOYU.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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