bergamot

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˈbɝɡəˌmɑt/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈbɜːɡəˌmɒt/

Etymology 1

French bergamote, from Italian bergamotta; probably a corruption of Turkish bey armudu (“a lord's pear”).

Noun

bergamot (countable and uncountable; plural bergamots)

1. (botany) A tree of the orange family (Citrus bergamia), having a roundish or pear-shaped fruit, from the rind of which an essential oil of delicious odor is extracted, much prized as a perfume. Also, the fruit.
2. (botany) Either of two species of the mint family (Europe: Mentha aquatica, variety glabrata; America: Monarda didyma).
3. The essence or perfume made from the fruit.
4. A variety of pear.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Johnson to this entry?)

5. A variety of snuff perfumed with bergamot.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Cowper

     The better hand . . . gives the nose its bergamot.

Derived terms

• wild bergamot

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French : bergamote (1)(3)(4)
• Italian: bergamotto (it) m (1,3), bergamotta (it) f (4)

• Persian: ترنج (fa) (toranj)

External links

• Bergamot in the 1920 edition of Encyclopedia Americana.

Etymology 2

From Bergamo

Noun

bergamot (usually uncountable; plural bergamots)

1. A coarse tapestry, manufactured from flock of cotton or hemp, mixed with ox's or goat's hair.