teabag (n.)

"small sack," c. 1200, bagge, probably from Old Norse baggi "pack, bundle," or a similar Scandinavian source. OED rejects connection to other Germanic words for "bellows, belly" as without evidence and finds a Celtic origin untenable. In some senses perhaps from Old French bague, which is also from Germanic.

As disparaging slang for "woman" it dates from 1924 in modern use (but various specialized senses of this are much older, and compare baggage). The meaning "person's area of interest or expertise" is by 1964, from African-American vernacular, from jazz sense of "category," probably via notion of putting something in a bag. The meaning "fold of loose skin under the eye" is by 1867. Related: bags.

Many figurative senses, such as the verb meaning "to kill game" (1814) and its colloquial extension to "catch, seize, steal" (1818) are from the notion of the game bag (late 15c.) into which the product of the hunt was placed. This also probably explains modern slang in the bag "assured, certain" (1922, American English). To be left holding the bag (and presumably nothing else), "cheated, swindled" is attested by 1793.

To let the cat out of the bag "reveal the secret" is from 1760. The source is probably the French expression Acheter chat en poche "buy a cat in a bag," which is attested in 18c. French and explained in Bailey's "Universal Etymological English Dictionary" (1736), under the entry for To buy a pig in a poke as "to buy a Thing without looking at it, or enquiring into the Value of it." (Similar expressions are found in Italian and German; and in English, Wycliffe (late 14c.) has To bye a catte in þo sakke is bot litel charge). Thus to let the cat out of the bag would be to inadvertently reveal the hidden truth of a matter one is attempting to pass off as something better or different, which is in line with the earliest uses in English.

Sir Joseph letteth the cat out of the bag, and sheweth principles inimical to the cause of true philosophy, by wishing to make great men Fellows, instead of wise men ["Peter Pindar," "Peter's Prophecy," 1788]

1650s, tay, "prepared leaves of the tea plant," also "an infusion of prepared tea leaves used as a beverage," also in early spellings thea, tey, tee and at first pronounced so as to rhyme with obey (Pope); pay (Gay). The modern pronunciation predominates from mid-18c.

The word is earliest in English as chaa (1590s), also cha, tcha, chia, cia (compare cha, chai). The two forms reflect two paths of transmission: chaa, etc. are from Portuguese cha, via Macao, from Mandarin (Chinese) ch'a. The later form, which became Modern English tea, is via Dutch thee, from Malay teh and directly from Chinese (Amoy dialect) t'e, which corresponds to Mandarin ch'a.

The modern English form (along with French thé, Spanish te, German Tee, etc.) reflects the role of the Dutch as chief importers of the leaves in that part of Europe (through the Dutch East India Company, from 1610). Meanwhile, Russian chai, Persian cha, Greek tsai, Arabic shay, and Turkish çay all came by overland trade routes from the Mandarin form.

Tea was known in Paris by 1635; the practice of drinking it was introduced in England by 1644. The word was extended by 1660s to the tea plant itself, also to similar infusions of the parts of other plants. The slang meaning "marijuana" (which sometimes was brewed in hot water) is attested by 1935, felt as obsolete by late 1960s.

The meaning "late afternoon meal at which tea is served" is by 1738. Tea-bottle as English slang for "old maid" is attested by 1909. To not do something for all the tea in China "not for anything" is colloquial, attested by 1947 in Australian English, said to date from 1890s.