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

The cultivated Hyssop, now of frequent occurrence in the herb-bed, and a favourite plant there because of its fragrance, belongs to the labiate order, and possesses cordial qualities which give it rank as a Simple.

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

Mussinii, 1 ft., is a compactly spreading greyish-leaved labiate, with lavender-blue flowers, and is sometimes used for bedding or for marginal lines in large compound beds.

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 Alice Morse Earle

Palate, a projection of the lower lip of a labiate corolla into the throat, as in Snapdragon, &c.

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

PATCHOULY.—Under this name are imported into this country the dried foliaceous tops of a strongly odoriferous labiate plant, growing three feet high in India and China, called in Bengalee and Hindu, pucha pat.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by P. L. Simmonds

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