Tanacetum balsamita
- noun
- Specialized
:
balsamina
- The leaves of Tanacetum balsamita are often added to salads for a unique flavor.
Examples
-
She brewed a herbal tea using dried Tanacetum balsamita from her garden.
-
Botanists sometimes refer to Tanacetum balsamita by its common name, costmary.
-
I added Tanacetum balsamita to my herbal tea.
-
Have you tried Tanacetum balsamita in your salad?
-
She brewed a herbal tea using dried Tanacetum balsamita from her garden.
-
The leaves of Tanacetum balsamita are often added to salads for a unique flavor.
-
Have you tried Tanacetum balsamita in your salad?
Synonyms
A plant with a strong smell whose leaves add flavor to food or tea
A leafy herb whose leaves people use to flavor food, with round yellow flowers and a strong smell
A plant from Europe and Asia with small round yellow flowers used to flavor food, make tea, or scent potpourri
A plant with a minty smell and yellow button flowers used in salads and tea
A small herb with a mint smell used to add flavor to food or tea
A small herb with round yellow flowers and a strong smell that people use to flavor food or tea
Surface Forms
Morphology
Tanacetum + balsamita
This is a Latin botanical binomial: although 'Tanacetum' denotes a group of flowering plants, the species epithet 'balsamita' is not an ordinary English word and provides no transparent, everyday clue to the meaning 'costmary' or the plant's uses. Scientific Latin names are specialized labels rather than compositional English MWEs, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would not be able to derive the common-herb meaning without prior botanical knowledge.
Etymology
The plant name Tanacetum balsamita combines the old name for the tansy family, Tanacetum, with balsamita, which points to a 'balsam' or sweet, resin smell. Because people used the leaves in tea, salads and potpourri, the name helps us remember this herb by its scent and use.
