Lexic.us

Definition of Trefoil

1. Noun. Any of several Old World herbs of the genus Medicago having small flowers and trifoliate compound leaves.

2. Noun. A plant of the genus Trifolium.

3. Noun. An architectural ornament in the form of three arcs arranged in a circle.

Definition of Trefoil

1. n. Any plant of the genus Trifolium, which includes the white clover, red clover, etc.; -- less properly, applied also to the nonesuch, or black medic. See Clover, and Medic.

Definition of Trefoil

1. Noun. (botany) Any of several plants of the pea family, having compound, trifoliate leaves; especially one of the genus ''Trifolium''. ¹

2. Noun. A symbol having the shape of such leaves, especially when used as an architectural ornament. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Trefoil

1. a plant having ternate leaves [n -S]

Medical Definition of Trefoil

1. 1. Any plant of the genus Trifolium, which includes the white clover, red clover, etc.; less properly, applied also to the nonesuch, or black medic. See Clover, and Medic. 2. An ornamental foliation consisting of three divisions, or foils. 3. A charge representing the clover leaf. Origin: L. Tres three + E. Foil leaf; cf. F. Frefle, It. Trifoglio, L. Trifolium. See Tri-, Foil leaf, and cf. Trifoly. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Trefoil

treeshrews treespace treestand treestands treetop treetops treetrunk treetrunks treeward treeware

treewidth tref trefa trefah trefentanil trefoil (current term) trefoil arch trefoil dermatitis trefoil knot trefoil knots

trefoil polypeptide trefoiled trefoils trefot trefots treget tregetour tregetours tregetry

Literary usage of Trefoil

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Gardeners Dictionaryby Philip Miller by Philip Miller (1754)
"CBP Hop-trefoil. 7. TR i F o 11 u M purpureum majur, ... The greater purple trefoil, with longer and narrower Leaves, and deeper- colour'd Flowers. 8. ..."

2. A History of Architectural Development by Frederick Moore Simpson (1909)
"One curious trait found in many of the churches, generally trefoil inside, is the trefoil or cinquefoil arch, ..."

3. Report: New York by Otis Stuart (1904)
"Showy Tick-trefoil. Desmodium Canadense DC. Hubbardston, and probably father N.; Flint; Ann Arbor, Allmendinger Cat. and Winch. Cat. Flowers early. ..."

4. General view of the agriculture of the county of Sussex by Arthur Young (1808)
"CLOVER, trefoil, RAY-GRASS, THE artificial grasses in the highest request, ... trefoil, , 2 ditto. Ray, 4 ditto, This is for permanent pasture; ..."

5. A Dictionary of English Plant-names by James Britten, Robert Holland (1886)
"(Morton, who says, ' trefoil as they call it by way of pre-eminence'); Norf. ... See under their respective headings, Bean trefoil, Bird's-foot (1), ..."

6. The Forage and Fiber Crops in America by Thomas Forsyth Hunt (1907)
"Florida beggar weed; the young plant Bird's-foot trefoil has become ... "By itself, bird's-foot trefoil is not productive, but it is very suitable, ..."

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