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pekoe

Pekoe, the tea grade made from downy young leaves, is probably the Amoy (Hokkien) name for 'white down', from the fine white hairs on the leaf buds — a phrase Buddhist Chinese already used for the white curl on the Buddha's brow. British planters in Assam and Ceylon turned it into a leaf grade, orange pekoe. The derivation is not certain.

Weakest linkPossible

The road to English

From Middle Chinese to Mandarin Chinese

From English to Indian English

500 CEMiddle Chinese

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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