Defn: The act of labefying or making weak; the state of being
weakened; decay; ruin.
There is in it such a labefaction of all principles as may be
injurious to morality. Johnson.
LABEFY Lab"e*fy, v. t. Etym: [L. labefacere; labare to totter + facere to make.]
Defn: To weaken or impair. [R.]
LABEL La"bel, n. Etym: [OF. label sort of ribbon or fringe, label in heraldry, F. lambeau shred, strip, rag; of uncertain origin; cf. L.labellum, dim. of labrum lip, edge, margin, G. lappen flap, patch, rag, tatter (cf. Lap of a dress), W. llab, llabed, label, flap, Gael. leab, leob, slice, shred, hanging lip.]
1. A tassel. [Obs.] Huloet. Fuller.
2. A slip of silk, paper, parchment, etc., affixed to anything, usually by an inscription, the contents, ownership, destination, etc.; as, the label of a bottle or a package.
3. A slip of ribbon, parchment, etc., attached to a document to hold the appended seal; also, the seal.
4. A writing annexed by way of addition, as a codicil added to a will.
5. (Her.)
Defn: A barrulet, or, rarely, a bendlet, with pendants, or points, usually three, especially used as a mark of cadency to distinguish an eldest or only son while his father is still living.