bee balm
Americannoun
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Also called Oswego tea. a wildflower, Monarda didyma, of the mint family, having thin, lance-shaped leaves and white, salmon, or intensely red flowers, growing along streams in temperate forests and widely cultivated in gardens.
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a plant, Melissa officinalis, having broad, opposite, serrated leaves and tight clusters of white, lemon-scented flowers that attract bees.
Etymology
Origin of bee balm
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My favorite way to prepare bee balm is as pesto.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2024
Perhaps it was the scarlet bee balm that drew hummingbirds in darting, whirring droves.
From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
In addition to mint, stem cuttings of coleus, salvia, bee balm and catnip, all members of the vast mint family, are satisfying for beginning propagators.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 12, 2022
Iftner and his wife, Kaye, planted an acre of native prairie grasses — milkweed, goldenrod, bee balm — to resemble what the ground looked like before it was plowed.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 10, 2021
In our botanic garden was planted a patch six feet across of what is known as Oswego tea, bee balm, or red-flowered bergamot, an interesting plant with considerable beauty.
From Seed Dispersal by W. J. (William James) Beal
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
