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labellum

[luh-bel-uh m]
noun, plural la·bel·la [luh-bel-uh] /ləˈbɛl ə/. Botany.
  1. the petal of an orchid that differs more or less markedly from the other petals, often forming the most conspicuous part; the lip.
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Origin of labellum

1820–30; < Latin, diminutive of labrum lip; for formation see castellum
Related formsla·bel·loid, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for labella

Historical Examples

  • Orchids are very subject to an increase in the number of their labella.

    Vegetable Teratology

    Maxwell T. Masters

  • It consists of three joints, the last of which is formed by the liplets (Labella).

  • And then, Labella, does not the good Book command us to do good to those who hate us, and to love our enemies?'

  • Distiproboscis: the outer third of the proboscis in Muscid flies, bearing the labella.

British Dictionary definitions for labella

labellum

noun plural -la (-lə)
  1. the part of the corolla of certain plants, esp orchids, that forms a distinct, often lobed, lip
  2. a lobe at the tip of the proboscis of a fly
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Derived Formslabelloid, adjective

Word Origin

C19: New Latin, diminutive of Latin labrum lip
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012