labiate

American  

[ley-bee-it, -eyt] / ˈleɪ bi ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

adjective

1. having parts that are shaped or arranged like lips; lipped.

2. Botany.

   1. belonging to the plant family Labiatae (or Lamiaceae).

   2. two-lipped; bilabiate: said of a gamopetalous corolla or gamosepalous calyx.

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noun

1. a labiate plant.

labiate British  

/ ˈleɪbɪˌeɪt, -ɪt /

noun

1. any plant of the family Lamiaceae (formerly Labiatae ), having square stems, aromatic leaves, and a two-lipped corolla: includes mint, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the family Lamiaceae

Other Word Forms

• unlabiate adjective

Etymology

Origin of labiate

From the New Latin word labiātus, dating back to 1700–10. See labium, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Monarda.—Handsome labiate plants, flowering towards autumn, and preferring a cool soil and partially shaded situation.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

Bees are among the highest forms of insect life, and the labiate flowers are adapted to their visits; these nearly all have purple or blue petals—Thyme, Sage, Mint, Marjoram, Basil, Prunella, etc.

From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Earle, Alice Morse

Each of the Horehounds is a labiate plant; and this, the water variety, bears flesh coloured flowers, whilst containing a volatile oil, a resin, a bitter principle, and tannin.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas

The throat is the part where the tube and the labiate limb join.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5 "Fleury, Claude" to "Foraker" by Various

Two forms of the labiate corolla have been designated, viz.:—

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa