|karē(ˌ)ōfə̇ˈlāsēˌē noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Caryophyllus (II) , type genus + -aceae
: a large widely distributed family of herbs or occasionally subshrubs (order Caryophyllales) usually with stems swollen at the nodes and opposite linear leaves and with symmetrical pentamerous or tetramerous flowers that have distinct stamens as numerous or twice as numerous as the sepals