bee balm
- 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.
- a plant, Melissa officinalis, having broad, opposite, serrated leaves and tight clusters of white, lemon-scented flowers that attract bees.
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Origin of bee balm
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bee balm
Historical Examples
I have never found it with its only rival in color, the monarda or bee-balm, a species of mint.
RiverbyJohn Burroughs
Then the unseen painter begins to mix the royal colour on his palette, and the red of the bee-balm catches your eye.
Little RiversHenry van Dyke