New Jersey tea

noun

New Jer·​sey tea nü-ˈjər-zē- How to pronounce New Jersey tea (audio)
nyü-
: a low deciduous shrub (Ceanothus americanus) of the buckthorn family that is found in the eastern U.S. and has dull green leaves and small white flowers borne in large terminal panicles

Examples of New Jersey tea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Other good plants include Jacob’s ladder, wild strawberry, wild geranium, chokecherry, prairie phlox, golden Alexander, New Jersey tea, cherry trees, dogwoods, blueberry, elderberry, willow and hackberry trees. Jennifer Rude Klett, Journal Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2023 Shrubs include spicebush, blueberry, viburnum, New Jersey tea, meadowsweet spirea and dogwood (redosier, silky, gray, and pagoda). Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2022 Her design features the nodding petals of Campanula divaricata (bellflower), the white puffs of Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea), and the purple stars of Aquilegia vulgaris (columbine). Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

New Jersey, state of U.S.; from the use of its leaves as a substitute for tea during the American Revolution

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of New Jersey tea was in 1759

Dictionary Entries Near New Jersey tea

Cite this Entry

“New Jersey tea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/New%20Jersey%20tea. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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