Oswego tea

noun

An American aromatic herb (Monarda didyma) with bright red labiate flowers; also called bee balm or bergamot.

Similar
bee balmbeebalmbergamot mintMonarda didyma
OriginIroquoian →
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Meanings

nounOswego tea (usually uncountable, plural Oswego teas)

plural Oswego teas

  1. uncountableusuallyAn American aromatic herb (Monarda didyma) with bright red labiate flowers; also called bee balm or bergamot.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounperennial aromatic herb of eastern North America having variously colored tubular flowers in dense showy heads

Similar
bee balmbeebalmbergamot mintMonarda didyma
Broader
monardawild bergamot
Also see
bee balmbergamot mint

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Iroquoian
  2. EnglishOswego tea

Oswego (from an Iroquoian language) + tea.

More words from Iroquoian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Oswego tea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oswego%20tea

MLA

“Oswego tea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oswego%20tea. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Oswego tea,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oswego%20tea.

Source: Oswego tea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.