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Glite Dictionary
orange pekoe

orange pekoe

1 7.7
A high quality black tea made from young tea leaves
  • noun
  • /ˈɔrɪndʒ ˈpɛkoʊ/
translation icon : orange pekoe
  • As the kettle boiled, she prepared her favorite orange pekoe tea with a slice of lemon.
  • orange pekoe tea

Examples

  • Like that orange pekoe you like.

    The Invasion (2007)

  • We've got orange pekoe, we've got Irish Breakfast, we've got Darjeeling.

    Throw Momma from the Train (1987)

  • She dressed, ventured down to the kitchen to set a tray for herself, and returned to eat cheese and bread and drink delicious hot orange pekoe in her room.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "May I suggest Immuni-Tea brand tea, the perfect blend of black and orange pekoe, fortified with six antioxidants and neo-antibiotics?

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I enjoy a cup of orange pekoe tea every morning for its rich flavor.

  • The tea shop offers a selection of orange pekoe, known for its delicate aroma.

Synonyms

pekoe
vsorange pekoe
1 9.1

A good black tea made from young leaves and buds

is the traditional longer form of that same tea name

Surface Forms

orange pekoe singular
orange pekoes plural

Morphology

orange + pekoe

Although 'pekoe' denotes a grade of black tea, the modifier 'orange' in this lexicalized name does not transparently mean the fruit or color and reflects historical naming rather than a compositional modifier. A B1 learner who knows the literal constituents would likely misinterpret it (e.g., orange-flavored or orange-colored tea) and would not reliably derive the specific meaning 'a high-quality grade of black tea' without prior exposure.

Etymology

The noun orange pekoe may come from two simple images: pekoe comes from a Chinese word for the fine 'white hairs' on young tea buds, and orange may come from the Dutch royal House of 'Orange', a name used to show the tea was special for Europe. So today orange pekoe names a 'high-quality' black tea made from those young leaves.