Standard Lemma guide

pekoe

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpiːkəʊ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɛːkəʊ/
  • General-American: /ˈpikoʊ/
  • General-American: /ˈpɛkoʊ/
  • rhymes with -iːkəʊ
  • rhymes with -ɛːkəʊ

1

noun

Meaning 1

A high-quality black tea made using young leaves, grown in Sri Lanka, India, Java and the Azores.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a superior grade of black tea; grown in India and Sri Lanka and Java

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: orange pekoe

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: black tea

History

Etymology

Unclear; possibly from Hokkien 白毫 (pe̍h-ho, “white hair”) or Hokkien 白花 (pe̍h-hoe, “white flower”). See Tea leaf grading#Etymology. Compare to Russian ба́йховый (bájxovyj).