1
: an Australasian shrubby pepper (Piper methysticum) from whose crushed root an intoxicating beverage is made
also
: the beverage made from kava
2
: the dried rhizome and roots of the kava used especially as a dietary supplement chiefly to relieve stress and anxiety
Examples of kava in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The City’s Quiet Crackdown on Kava Bars By Chris Crowley
For the handful of New York City kava bars serving a largely sober clientele, the city’s concerns over the effects of kava and kratom has led to closures, trials, and the loss of permits.
—
Curbed Editors, Curbed, 1 Jan. 2025
However, there was also a mixture of other substances, including a synthetic version of psilocybin, the prescription anticonvulsant drug pregabalin and the supplement kava.
—Will Stone, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024
Commercially available kava may come mixed with other ingredients, such as Damiana leaf.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 16 Sep. 2024
The city’s quiet kava crackdown started in November 2022, when the Health Department issued a summons to KavaSutra, a kava bar on First Street.
—Chris Crowley, Curbed, 15 July 2024
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Curbed Editors, Curbed, 1 Jan. 2025
However, there was also a mixture of other substances, including a synthetic version of psilocybin, the prescription anticonvulsant drug pregabalin and the supplement kava.
—Will Stone, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024
Commercially available kava may come mixed with other ingredients, such as Damiana leaf.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 16 Sep. 2024
The city’s quiet kava crackdown started in November 2022, when the Health Department issued a summons to KavaSutra, a kava bar on First Street.
—Chris Crowley, Curbed, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for kava
Dictionary Entries Near kava
Cite this Entry
“Kava.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kava. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
kava
noun
ka·va
ˈkäv-ə 
1
: an Australasian shrubby pepper (Piper methysticum) from whose crushed root an intoxicating beverage is made
also
: the beverage
2
: a preparation consisting of the ground dried rhizome and roots of the kava plant that is used as a dietary supplement chiefly to relieve stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness and in folk medicine especially as a diuretic and urogenital antiseptic and that has been linked to cases of severe liver injury
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