monarda

noun

mo·​nar·​da mə-ˈnär-də How to pronounce monarda (audio)
: any of a genus (Monarda) of coarse annual or perennial North American mints with a tubular calyx and whorls of showy flowers

Examples of monarda in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web My monarda patch at home is mostly stems at this point. Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 26 Sep. 2021 The point here is everyone can enjoy the Leading Lady monarda. Norman Winter, Arkansas Online, 15 May 2021 Stop the presses and throw all of your preconceived notions about the monarda or bee balm out the door. Norman Winter, Arkansas Online, 15 May 2021 The pollinator garden is 5 feet by 12 feet and now contains monarda (bee balm), crocosmia, delphinium, foxglove, lupine, phlox, columbine, stiff goldenrod, liatris, Black-eyed Susan, and butterfly weed. Judy Hake, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 17 Apr. 2021 Other flower names belonged to botanists who described or grew them: monarda (from Nicolás Monardes, a 16th-century Spaniard who wrote about New World plants), forsythia (from William Forsyth, who tended George III’s gardens). Richard Brookhiser, National Review, 26 Sep. 2019 Among the perennials most often mentioned were ligularia, monarda, milkweed and Joe Pye weed. Bonnie Blodgett, Twin Cities, 3 Aug. 2019 Try deer- and rabbit-resistant perennial flowers, including agastache, artemisia, lavender, monarda, ornamental oregano, Russian sage, salvia, and yarrow. Thad Orr, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018 Given those considerations, go ahead and cut back lilies, daylilies, garden phlox, iris, geranium, monarda, daisies, coreopsis and any other plants that look bad. Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Indianapolis Star, 20 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monarda.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Nicolás Monardes †1588 Spanish botanist

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monarda was in 1752

Dictionary Entries Near monarda

Cite this Entry

“Monarda.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarda. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

monarda

noun
mo·​nar·​da mə-ˈnärd-ə How to pronounce monarda (audio)
1
capitalized : a genus of coarse North American mints with whorls of showy flowers including one (M. punctata) that has been used as a carminative
2
: any plant of the genus Monarda

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