nettle family: Meaning and Definition of

net'tle fam"ily

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. the plant family Urticaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants, trees, and shrubs, sometimes covered with stinging hairs, having alternate or opposite simple leaves, clusters of small flowers, and small, dry, seedlike fruit, and including baby's-tears, clearweed, nettles of the genus Urtica, and ramie.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.