Meanings
plural teapoys · alternative tepoy · alternative tea-poy
- Originally, a three-legged decorative stand or table; now, especially, one with recesses for holding tea caddies and/or a tea service.First known use 1820s
“They're like the teapoys in the Lakka Bazar — good material but not polished.”
1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 151 more example
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.
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
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*pṓds“foot”
- Proto-Indo-European*tréyes“three”
- Classical Persianسه پای“tripod”
- Sanskritत्रिपाद“tripod”
- Urduتپائی“teapoy”
- Hindiतिपाई
- Englishteapoy
PIE word *tréyes 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. 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”). Doublet of tripod, tripus, and tripos.
More words from Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bengali টিপাই, তেপায়া
- টিপাই (ṭipai)three-legged decorative stand or table; especially, one with recesses for holding tea caddies and/or a tea service
- তেপায়া (tepaẏa)three-legged decorative stand or table; especially, one with recesses for holding tea caddies and/or a tea service
Chinese Mandarin 茶几
- 茶几 (chájī, chájǐ)three-legged decorative stand or table; especially, one with recesses for holding tea caddies and/or a tea service
Hindi तिपाई
- तिपाई (tipāī)three-legged decorative stand or table; especially, one with recesses for holding tea caddies and/or a tea service
Polish stoliczek do herbaty
- stoliczek do herbatythree-legged decorative stand or table; especially, one with recesses for holding tea caddies and/or a tea service
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with teapoy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
teapoy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teapoy
“teapoy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teapoy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “teapoy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teapoy.
Source: teapoy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.