samovar

/ˌsæməˈvɑr/

Other forms: samovars

If you order tea in a Russian restaurant, you're likely to see a samovar, a metal container used for heating tea or coffee water.

Russian words in English are a small but unfailingly interesting group, including this one: a metal urn with a spigot, used for boiling water. The Russian roots mean "self-boiler," or "self-cooking." Samovars are commonly used not only in Russia, but in Kashmir, Iran, and Turkey as well. A Google image search will fix this indispensable metal appliance in your mind.

Definitions of samovar

1. noun

   a metal urn with a spigot at the base; used in Russia to boil water for tea
   type of:

   urn

   a large pot for making coffee or tea