kombucha

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

    Origin disputed. Possibly from Japanese 昆布茶 (konbucha, literally kelp (konbu) tea), a different type of beverage, and not related to fermentation.

    Alternatively, derived from Kombu, reportedly a Korean physician who brought the fermented tea to Japan as a curative for Emperor Inkyo in 414 CE + cha (tea).

    Pronunciation

    • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌkɑmˈbu.t͡ʃə/, /ˌkɑmˈbu.ʃə/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)

    Noun

    kombucha (countable and uncountable, plural kombuchas)

    1. A fermented, effervescent, and sweetened black tea of Mongolian origin.
      Synonym: (colloquial) booch
      Coordinate terms: kvass, jun
      • 2020, Chad Turner, The Joy of Home Brewing Kombucha[1], Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
        Kombucha is the primary focus of this book and arguably the most popular home ferment and aforementioned store-bought probiotic drink.
      • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:kombucha.

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • Portuguese: kombucha
    • Spanish: kombucha

    Translations

    Further reading

    Portuguese

    Alternative forms

    • kombuchá (semi-adapted spelling)
    • combucha, combuchá (adapted spelling)

    Etymology

      Borrowed from English kombucha.

      Pronunciation

       
      • (Brazil) IPA(key): /kõˈbu.ʃɐ/, /kõˈbu.t͡ʃɐ/
       

      • Hyphenation: kom‧bu‧cha

      Noun

      kombucha m or f (plural kombuchas)

      1. kombucha (fermented tea)

      Usage notes

      • The gender of this Portuguese noun varies from speaker to speaker. Some use it as a masculine noun and others as a feminine noun.

      Further reading

      Spanish

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /komˈbut͡ʃa/ [kõmˈbu.t͡ʃa]
      • Rhymes: -utʃa
      • Syllabification: kom‧bu‧cha

      Noun

      kombucha f (plural kombuchas)

      1. kombucha (fermented tea)