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illustration Bergamot

Bergamot

[BER-gə-mot]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Italian, late 17th century

1.

An oily substance extracted from the rind of the fruit of a dwarf variety of the Seville orange tree. It is used in cosmetics and as flavoring in tea.

2.

(Also bergamot orange) The tree which bears a variety of Seville orange from which bergamot is extracted.

Examples of Bergamot in a sentence

"The house tea blend has strong notes of bergamot."

"Your grandmother's farm used to have a grove of bergamot orange trees."

About Bergamot

In Northern Italy, there's a city and province called Bergamo. But there's also a Turkish word — "begarmudu" — that means "prince's pear." "Bergamot" is likely a mix of these origins.

Did you Know?

A Seville orange tree produces the fruit from which the citrusy bergamot oil is extracted for Earl Grey tea and fragrances. The herb bergamot is a different plant, but it has a similar citrus aroma. It's a member of the mint family, and the plants are known to attract pollinators, including bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. The plant is sometimes called bee balm or lemon bergamot.

illustration Bergamot

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