boba
boba Lexical Profile
boba Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A sweet beverage originating in Taiwan, typically consisting of tea, milk, ice, and chewy tapioca pearls.
"After finishing their exams, the students went downtown to grab some boba and celebrate."
North American The chewy, sweet tapioca pearls that are added to Taiwanese-style milk teas and other cold beverages.
"She always asks for extra boba in her taro milk tea because she loves the chewy texture."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North America, the term 'boba' is heavily favored on the West Coast, whereas 'bubble tea' is more commonly used on the East Coast and in other English-speaking regions.
• Rhymes for boba
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Taiwanese Mandarin 波霸 (bōbà), originally a 1980s slang term for 'large breasts' (a playful reference to the large size of the tapioca pearls compared to traditional smaller ones). It eventually became the standard term for the pearls and the drink itself in many Western regions.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.