teapoy definition

Borrowed from Hindi तिपाई (tipāī), Urdu تپائی‎ (tipāi, “teapoy”), from a merger of Sanskrit त्रिपाद (tripāda, “tripod”) + Classical Persian سه پای‎ (sih-pāy, “tripod”), with the spelling of the first element influenced by association with tea.^[1] Sanskrit त्रि (tri, “three”), the first element of त्रिपाद (tripāda), is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes (“three”); while Classical Persian پای‎ (pây, “foot”), the second element of سه پای‎, is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pṓds (“foot”), from *ped- (“to step; to walk; to fall; to stumble”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtiːpɔɪ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtiˌpɔɪ/
• Hyphenation: tea‧poy

Noun

teapoy (plural teapoys)

1. (originally India) Originally, a three-legged decorative stand or table; now, especially, one with recesses for holding tea caddies and/or a tea service. [from 1820s]
   • 2019, Nancy E. Davis, “Afong Moy Presents Chinese Objects for the Home”, in The Chinese Lady: Afong Moy in Early America, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, part II (The Show), pages 107–108:

     The teapoy, derived from the Hindi/Persian phrase denoting a three-footed table, supported a tea set or tea-related objects. Not all teapoys were tripod-like tables or sold singly. The Carneses imported lacquer teapoys in sets. These sets could be easily stacked in a corner of the drawing room and brought out at teatime to hold a teacup, a set, or a caddy. The Carneses purchased lacquered teapoys sets for four dollars in China and probably sold them for twice that amount in America.

Alternative forms

• tepoy, tea-poy

Descendants

• → Bengali: টিপাই (ṭipai)
• → Kannada: ಟೀಪಾಯಿ (ṭīpāyi)

Translations

See also

• charpoy

Notes

References

Further reading

• teapoy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia