papilionaceous
Americanadjective
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having an irregular corolla shaped somewhat like a butterfly, as the pea and other leguminous plants.
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belonging to the family Papilionaceae (Fabaceae), that is often included as part of the Leguminosae.
Etymology
Origin of papilionaceous
1660–70; < Latin pāpiliōn- (stem of pāpiliō ) butterfly + -aceous
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.
Jerusalem oak, 125Jimson weed, 155Juncaceae, 118June grass, 116 Keel, the joined pair of petals in a papilionaceous corolla; a projecting ridge along the back of an organ.
From Seeds of Michigan Weeds Bulletin 260, Michigan State Agricultural College Experiment Station, Division of Botany, March, 1910 by Beal, W. J. (William James)
Anomalæ, with an irregular corolla, composed of five petals, but differing from the papilionaceous form; as the violet.
From Lives of Eminent Zoologists, from Aristotle to Linnæus with Introductory remarks on the Study of Natural History by MacGillivray, William
Trees or Shrubs with papilionaceous corolla; as the laburnum.
From Lives of Eminent Zoologists, from Aristotle to Linnæus with Introductory remarks on the Study of Natural History by MacGillivray, William
Vexillary, Vexillar, relating to the Vexillum, the standard of a papilionaceous flower, 92.
From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa
Flowers.—Magenta-colored; solitary; sessile; seven to nine lines long; papilionaceous.
From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Parsons, Mary Elizabeth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.