mountain tea
- noun
- /ˈmaʊntən ti/
- US
:
té de montaña
- The aromatic leaves of mountain tea are sometimes used to make herbal infusions.
Examples
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Native Americans traditionally used mountain tea for its medicinal properties.
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Hikers often spot mountain tea growing along shaded forest trails in the Appalachian Mountains.
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I enjoy drinking mountain tea in the winter.
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Have you ever tried mountain tea?
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Hikers often spot mountain tea growing along shaded forest trails in the Appalachian Mountains.
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Native Americans traditionally used mountain tea for its medicinal properties.
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The aromatic leaves of mountain tea are sometimes used to make herbal infusions.
Synonyms
2
8.2
A low evergreen bush with red berries and spicy-smelling leaves used to make oil
1
9.9
A low bush with strong-smelling leaves and red berries that make a mint-like oil
A low creeping shrub with white bell flowers, aromatic leaves, and red berries
A low plant that spreads along the ground with shiny scented leaves, small white bell flowers, and red berries
A low shrub with shiny scented leaves, white bell-shaped flowers, and spicy red berries used to make wintergreen oil
Surface Forms
Morphology
mountain + tea
The phrase 'mountain tea' is compositionally built from 'mountain' + 'tea' and denotes a kind or source of tea (or a tea-producing plant) associated with mountains. This straightforward noun-noun compound follows common descriptive patterns found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would reasonably infer it refers to a type of tea/plant and not an idiomatic meaning.
Etymology
Mountain tea gets its name from where it grows and how people use it: the plant grows on mountains and people make a drink from its leaves like tea. That's why the name now means both the shrub and the herbal drink made from its leaves.