tea urn
Definition
- Noun:
- A large vessel for brewing and serving tea: A "tea urn" is a container, typically made of metal, used to brew a large quantity of tea and keep it hot. It is designed for serving tea to multiple people, often at social gatherings or events.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The hostess filled cups from the elegant silver tea urn.
- For the church social, they brewed the tea in a large electric tea urn.
Advanced Usage
- Historical and Social Context: Tea urns were particularly common in the 18th and 19th centuries for formal afternoon tea services. They symbolize a certain era of social ritual and hospitality.
- Functional Description: A traditional tea urn often has a tap at the bottom for dispensing the tea and may include a heating element or a space for a small lamp or burner to keep the contents warm.
Variants and Related Words
- Urn (n): A general term for a large, often decorative vase or pot, especially one used to hold the ashes of the deceased or, as in this case, for serving beverages.
- Samovar (n): A Russian urn with an internal heating tube, used for boiling water for tea. While similar in function, a samovar is culturally distinct from a typical tea urn.
Synonyms
- Teapot: A vessel for brewing and serving tea, but typically smaller and for individual or small-group use, not for large quantities.
- Hot water urn: A more general term for an urn that dispenses hot water, which can then be used to make tea or other drinks.
Related Phrases
- To draw from the urn: To serve a drink by opening the tap of an urn.
- Guests could draw hot tea directly from the urn.
- The urn ran dry: An idiom-like phrase indicating that all the tea in the urn has been served.
- By the end of the meeting, the tea urn ran dry.
Noun
-
an urn in which tea is brewed and from which it is served
