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Glite Dictionary
mint family

mint family

1 3.3
A group of scented herbs like mint, thyme, and rosemary
  • noun
  • /mɪnt ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
: familia de la menta
  • Azove hyssop is a blue-flowered plant of the mint family, whose twigs were used for sprinkling in biblical purification rituals.
  • member of the mint family
  • mint family herbs
  • plant of the mint family

Another stunning mint family plant is Agustashi or Hummingbird mint.

Examples

  • Another stunning mint family plant is Agustashi or Hummingbird mint.

    Epic Gardening

  • Bees constantly visit the plant, which belongs to the mint family.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Lamium album, a mint family member known in England as white dead-nettle, routinely flowers throughout the winter in England.

    Academic text (2004)

  • This Asian genus of the Labiatae (mint family) contains 16 shrub and herb species of widely varying floral and pollen morphologies.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Rosemary is one of the most flavorful and aromatic herbs of the mint family.

  • Catnip is a perennial herb that belongs to the mint family.

  • Bees constantly visit the plant, which is a member of the mint family.

Synonyms

Labiatae
vsmint family
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A family of aromatic herbs and shrubs like mint and sage

describes the same herbs by appearance and seed structure instead of naming history
Lamiaceae
vsmint family
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A family of plants with strong smells, like mint and rosemary

is a general listing of aromatic herbs focusing on common examples
family Lamiaceae
vsmint family
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A group of plants with a strong smell, like mint and rosemary

lists familiar aromatic herbs rather than botanical structures
family Labiatae
vsmint family
  • Archaic
1 7.6

A large plant family of herbs with a strong smell, like mint and rosemary

uses modern descriptive phrasing and names common aromatic herbs

Surface Forms

mint family singular
mint families plural

Morphology

mint + family

The meaning 'a group of related aromatic herbs including mint' is directly and compositionally derived from 'mint' (the plant) plus 'family' (a grouping of related species). This taxonomic/collective construction is common across languages and follows standard English noun + noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Mint family is the name for a group of plants that all smell like mint and often have square stems and flowers that look like lips. So the phrase pictures a family of related herbs that share a strong smell, which is why it means 'a group of related herbs'.