crystal tea

9.9

A small evergreen shrub with white bell-shaped flowers whose leaves were used to make tea during the American Revolution

noun

Archaic

: té de cristal

During the American Revolution, colonists brewed crystal tea as a substitute for imported tea.

Examples

The leaves of crystal tea have a slightly astringent flavor reminiscent of black tea.
Botanists often study crystal tea as an example of plants used in traditional herbal remedies.
I love drinking crystal tea in the morning.
Have you ever tried crystal tea?
During the American Revolution, colonists brewed crystal tea as a substitute for imported tea.
The leaves of crystal tea have a slightly astringent flavor reminiscent of black tea.
Botanists often study crystal tea as an example of plants used in traditional herbal remedies.

Synonyms

Labrador tea

vscrystal tea

1 8.9

An evergreen shrub with hairy leaves and small white flowers that people brew as tea

is the specific plant famous for tea use during the American Revolution

Ledum groenlandicum

vscrystal tea

Archaic

9.9

A small evergreen bush with white bell-shaped flowers and dark green hairy leaves

is the common historical name tied to Revolutionary tea use

Surface Forms

crystal tea singular

crystal teas plural

Morphology

crystal + tea

The compound labels a specific shrub used to make tea, which is not related to the usual sense of 'crystal' (a transparent mineral) combined with 'tea' (a drink). Because 'crystal' here is a lexicalized plant name and the botanical/historical meaning is unpredictable from the constituents, a B1 learner knowing the words would not infer the MWE's meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Crystal tea got its name from the shrub's small white, bell-shaped flowers that look like tiny crystals, and people brewed its leaves as a tea when imported tea was hard to get during the American Revolution. So, crystal tea now means the plant people used to make that 'tea'.