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.
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 William MacGillivray
It does not belong to the solanaceous, but to the papilionaceous or pea family, and its flowers have a delightful fragrance.
From The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868 by Horace Waller
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 A. S. (Alpheus Spring) Packard
In botany, one of the side petals of a papilionaceous corolla, &c.
From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg
The Ambarré, otherwise Nyumbo plant, has a pea-shaped, or rather papilionaceous flower, with a fine scent.
From The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868 by Horace Waller
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.
