\Cha\ (ch[aum]), n. [Chin. ch`a.] [Also {chaa}, {chais},
{tsia}, etc.]
Tea; -- the Chinese (Mandarin) name, used generally in early
works of travel, and now for a kind of rolled tea used in
Central Asia.
      A pot with hot water . . . made with the powder of a
      certain herb called chaa, which is much esteemed. --Tr.
                                               J. Van
                                               Linschoten's
                                               Voyages
                                               (1598).