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—Kavaic /keuh vay"ik/, adj./kah"veuh/, n.1. a Polynesian shrub, Piper methysticum, of the pepper family, the aromatic roots of which are used to make an intoxicating beverage.2. the beverage made from these roots. Also called kavakava, kava-kava.[1810-20; < Polynesian (first recorded from Tonga Islands)]
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or kava kavaNonalcoholic, yellow-green, somewhat bitter beverage made from the root of the pepper plant (mainly Piper methysticum) in most South Pacific islands.It is traditionally consumed in the kava ceremony, which includes the ritual making and drinking of kava and a ceremonial feast. It is taken to relieve stress and anxiety and as a mood elevator.* * *
▪ beveragealso spelled Cava, or Ava,nonalcoholic, euphoria-producing beverage made from the root of the pepper plant, principally Piper methysticum, in most of the South Pacific islands. It is yellow-green in colour and somewhat bitter, and the active ingredient is apparently alkaloidal in nature.Consumption of the beverage takes place in the kava ceremony, which is rigidly prescribed and includes the ritual making and drinking of kava and a ceremonial feast. Occasions for the kava ceremony can be social, such as a gathering of chiefs, a visit of a chief from a neighbouring island, or a gathering before battle, or it can be ceremonial, such as the conclusion of a public assembly presided over by a chief or king, the inauguration of a new chief, or a meeting with a god or gods for divination.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
