the name of a large peninsula in British North America, used attrib. in the following specific collocations: Labrador blue, the tint of blue reflected from labradorite; Labrador duck, a sea-duck of the north-east coast of North America, Camptolæmus labradorius; Labrador falcon, a very dark variety of gerfalcon found in Labrador, Falco labradorius; Labrador feldspar, spar, stone (also simply labrador) = LABRADORITE; Labrador hornblende = ENSTATITE (so called because it comes from Labrador and resembles hornblende); Labrador tea, either of the two shrubs of the genus Ledum (N.O. Ericaceæ) of North America, viz. L. latifolium and L. palustre, which have evergreen leathery leaves that have been used for tea.
1881. A. Leslie, trans. Nordenskiöld’s Voy. Vega, II. xi. 55. If … one walks along the beach on the snow which at ebb is dry … there rises at every step one takes an exceedingly intense, beautiful, bluish-white flash of light, which in the spectroscope gives a one-coloured *labrador-blue spectrum.
1884–5. Riverside Nat. Hist. (1888), IV. 151. The *Labrador duck is now extinct, or at least very nearly so.
1794. Kirwan, Min., I. 324. *Labradore Felspar of Werner.
1807. Aikin, Dict., I. 428. Labradore Felspar … is smoak-grey.
1794. Kirwan, Min., I. 221. *Labradore Hornblende.
1819. Bakewell, Min., 315. Hypensthene, Labrador Hornblende.
1799. W. Tooke, View of Russ. Emp., I. 121. If we except … window-mica, and a little *labrador spar.
1778. Woulfe, in Phil. Trans., LXIX. 23. The *Labradore stone is also a Feld spar.
1794. Kirwan, Min., I. 324. I conclude Labradore to be specifically different from common felspars.
1834. Allan, Min., 134. A grey felspar totally distinct from the species Labrador.
1784. M. Cutler, in Life, Jrnls. & Corr. (1888), I. 103. Large beds of what is called the *Labrador tea, of a very aromatic taste and smell.
1882. Garden, 29 April, 286/2. Labrador Tea … is really a good and distinct hardy bush.
