English tea reflects the Dutch thee-type form; the modern /iː/ follows the wider English raising of earlier /eː/.
CANONICAL RELATIONSHIP RECORD
COVERAGE LEDGER ↗EDGE / 0224borrowingprobable
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tea
the leaves of Camellia sinensis or a beverage made by infusing them
OPEN NODE 228 ↗DESCENDS FROM→
PARENT / EARLIER FORM / attestedDutch · 17th century–today · tea beveragethee
tea
OPEN NODE 229 ↗01
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The plant and beverage senses were retained, then English developed additional meal, social-event, infusion, and slang branches.
English is recorded from 1655; Dutch maritime diffusion belongs to the seventeenth century.
Östen Dahl
probable — WALS describes Dutch-mediated European diffusion, while Merriam-Webster compresses the etymology to borrowing from Xiamen Chinese. The Dutch stage is therefore shown but disputed.
reviewed
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CITATION REGISTER
SOURCES ON THIS EDGE
Chapter 138: TeaChapter 138, discussion of Dutch diffusion from Amoy/Xiamen
supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Describes Dutch adoption of the Southern Min form and its spread through European and colonial maritime routes.
Tea — Definition and Word HistoryEtymology and First Known Use
contextAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Compresses the English etymology to Chinese (Xiamen) dé and supplies the 1655 first-use date.
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EDITORIAL REUSE