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thé

Etymology and origin of the French word thé

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Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1648, Guy Patin
Borrowed from
Dutch thee
Ultimate origin
Hokkien (茶)

Pronunciation

Forms

thé m (plural thés)[1] Tay (1652–1653), tha and thé (1657); the spelling with ⟨th⟩ comes from New Latin.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It came through Dutch, about 1610, from a southern Chinese or Malay word:[3][4][5] Wiktionary gives borrowed from Dutch thee, from Hokkien 茶 (tê);[1] Rey and the Grand Robert give the Malay teh or a southern Chinese dialect form t'e“ (Formosa),[3][4][6] and Bloch and Wartburg the Malay word alone.[7] The tea plant was brought to Europe by the Dutch East India Company in 1606.[3] Earlier, from 1607 until the end of the 17th century, French also used ”chia“ or ”tcha“, from Mandarin ”cha“, the form the Portuguese brought in 1559 and Italian ”cia (1589).[7][4]

English tea has the same origin, and chaï is a doublet.[7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Guy Patin's letters (1648) mention thé as a Chinese plant brought into pharmacy;[2][3] Alexandre de Rhodes (1653) describes tay, which the Chinese drink as an infusion of the leaves.[2]

Semantic evolution

By 1657 thé named the drink, and Mme de Sévigné (1680) shows it taken for pleasure and for its medicinal virtues.[2] Varieties followed: thé impérial (1696), thé vert, thé noir (1704).[2][8]

From England came the meal or gathering at which tea is served (Prévost, 1751), and prendre le thé is in Diderot (1757).[2] Later came salon de thé “tearoom” (1923) and thé dansant “tea dance” (early 20th century).[8] The teapot is a théière (1723).[7]

Timeline

  • 1559 – Portuguese cha.[4]
  • 1606 – The Dutch bring tea to Europe.[3]
  • 1648 – Thé (Guy Patin).[2][5]
  • 1653 – Tay (Alexandre de Rhodes).[2]
  • 1657 – The drink.[2]
  • 1723 – Théière.[7]
  • 1751 – A tea party.[2]
  • 1923 – Salon de thé.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Tea, the drink; the dried leaves: thé vert, thé noir.[5][1]
  2. The tea plant.[5][2]
  3. A tea party or afternoon gathering: prendre le thé.[2][8]
  4. An infusion of other plants: thé à la menthe.[8]

Word family

  • théière
  • chaï
  • English tea

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 20, 111b
  7. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
Cite this entry

“Thé.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/th%C3%A9. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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