bee balm

noun

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.

Origin of bee balm

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Words nearby bee balm

bedwarmer, bedwetter, bedwetting, bedworth, bee, bee balm, bee beetle, bee bird, bee block, bee fly, bee glue

Example sentences from the Web for bee balm

  • I have never found it with its only rival in color, the monarda or bee-balm, a species of mint.

    Riverby |John 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 Rivers |Henry van Dyke