Definition of "mint family" [mint family]

• A large family of aromatic herbs, the Labiatae (or Lamiaceae), including lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, and thyme and characterized by opposite leaves, square stems, bilaterally symmetrical flowers with united petals, and a four-lobed ovary that produces four one-seeded nutlets. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.