Definition of "bergamot" [ber•ga•mot]

• A small tree (Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia) commercially grown chiefly in southern Italy for its sour citrus fruits, the rinds of which yield an aromatic oil. Also called bergamot orange. (noun)
• The oil itself, used extensively in perfumery. Also called bergamot oil. (noun)
• See bee balm. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The scent, a fruity-floral blend of Fuji apple, white peach nectar and bergamot, is balanced with white flowers and has base notes of amber, blonde woods and warm sand — designed to capture the come-hither spirit of the 1940s actress."
• "There are many problems with the story, mostly relating to the nationality of the grateful drownee vis a vis the nationality of the tea, but the bergamot is a citrus native to Italy, so who knows where this really came from."
• "I like EG in the morning, as a pick-me up before I face the day often while I catch up on the news online; the citrus of the bergamot is a wonderful complement to the caffeine of the tea."