mint family

American

noun

the large plant family Labiatae (or Lamiaceae), characterized by aromatic herbaceous plants having square stems, simple leaves, clusters of two-lipped flowers, and fruit in the form of small nutlets, and including basil, bee balm, catnip, coleus, lavender, marjoram, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, sage, spearmint, and thyme.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Menthol is a naturally occurring cyclic monoterpene alcohol found in various plants, particularly in members of the mint family such as peppermint and spearmint.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

Anise hyssop is part of the mint family and a perennial native to North America.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2024

Basil belongs to the mint family, and is an essential herb in Italian and Mediterranean cooking.

From Washington Times • Jun. 8, 2023

Like basil, which is also in the vast mint family of plants, most mints bruise easily, which leads to oxidation.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 23, 2022

Flowers terminal, white, verticillate, with the characteristics of the mint family.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023