papilionaceous
Americanadjective
-
having an irregular corolla shaped somewhat like a butterfly, as the pea and other leguminous plants.
-
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.
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
The flowers are papilionaceous, of a purple colour and arranged in panicles.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4 "Aram, Eugene" to "Arcueil" by Various
I know not what prodigy of the vegetable kingdom produced the little duckling; but the plant with the shells must, I think, have been a scarlet runner, and the shells themselves the papilionaceous blossoms.
From My Schools and Schoolmasters or The Story of my Education. by Miller, Hugh
I opened some, and found them of a papilionaceous structure.
From Lachesis Lapponica A Tour in Lapland, Volume 1 by Linn?, Carl von
The caterpillars live on the pea and other papilionaceous plants.
From Our Common Insects A Popular Account of the Insects of Our Fields, Forests, Gardens and Houses by Packard, A. S. (Alpheus Spring)
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.
