awa

noun

1. (uncountable)Kava, specifically Piper methysticum.

   “The manner of preparing awa is peculiarly disgusting. The root is chewed by women, and the spit out well-chewed mouthfuls into a calabash.”

   “The awa plant is a species of pepper, the piper methysticum of the botanist, and is described as having fleshy stems from two to three feet high.”

   “The majority say that there is little awa growing wild on Government lands, the bulk of that at present in the market being obtained from cultivated patches.”

2. (uncountable)An intoxicating drink made from the kava plant, typically the root.

   “The Hawaiian gods were supposed to be particularly addicted to the use of awa. Songs were sung in praise of the drink.”

   “When the prayer had finished, the awa was drunk and the sacred feast then began.”

name

1. (alt-of, alternative)Alternative form of Ava (“Burmese city”).
2. A city in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.
3. a Kainantu language spoken in Papua New Guinea.