labiate

American  

[lay-bee-it, -ayt] / 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

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Etymology

Origin of labiate

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

labiate

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 Alice Morse Earle

It only affords the fragrant aromatic principles common to most of the labiate plants.

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

The cohesion is sometimes irregular, some parts uniting to a greater extent than others; thus a two-lipped or labiate calyx is formed.

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

Each is a labiate plant, and "Bawme," say the Arabians, "makes the heart merry and joyful."

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

The Prunella vulgaris is a distinct plant from the Self Heal, or Sanicle, and belongs to the labiate order of herbs.

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

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