bergamot

American  

[bur-guh-mot, -muht] / ˈbɜr gəˌmɒt, -mət /

noun

1. a small citrus tree, Citrus aurantium bergamia, having fruit with a rind that yields a fragrant essential oil.

2. Also called essence of bergamot.  the oil or essence itself.

3. any of various plants of the mint family, as Monarda fistulosa, yielding an oil resembling essence of bergamot.

4. a variety of pear.

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bergamot British  

/ ˈbɜːɡəˌmɒt /

noun

1. Also called: bergamot orange.  a small Asian spiny rutaceous tree, Citrus bergamia , having sour pear-shaped fruit

2. a fragrant essential oil from the fruit rind of this plant, used in perfumery and some teas (including Earl Grey)

3. a Mediterranean mint, Mentha citrata , that yields an oil similar to essence of bergamot

4. 1. a North American plant, Monarda fistulosa , with clusters of purple flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

   2. a garden plant of the same genus, usually M. didyma (bee balm), grown for its scarlet or pink flowers

5. a variety of pear

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Etymology

Origin of bergamot

1610–20; < French bergamote < Italian bergamotta < Ottoman Turkish; compare Mod Turkish bey armudlu literally, bey's pear ( bey bey + armut pear (< Persian ) + -u 3rd-person singular possessive suffix); Italian form perhaps by association with Bergamo, Bergama, with -otta as alteration to a familiar suffix; the citrus apparently so called from its resemblance to the pear

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bergamot

Citrusy notes of Buddha’s hand, bergamot and cédrat burst from Balmain Beauty’s newest eau de parfum, Blanc Galaxie.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2025

The house vermouth pitches in with a faint bitter complexity; fainter still, and thankfully so, is the Earl Grey’s floral bergamot.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

The perfume industry has long relied on a small number of scents, like jasmine, rose or bergamot.

From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023

I was particularly intrigued because Earl Grey happens to be my favorite variety, featuring black tea leaves flavored with oil of bergamot, a fragrant citrus fruit native to Italy.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 17, 2023

The roses were especially fragrant; their smell hung rich and heavy in the air, mingled with the smell of bergamot, and black China tea, and a faint inky scent of camphor.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt