trefoil
1
8.5
- noun
- /ˈtrɛfɔɪl/
:
trébol
- Four white trefoils sprang up behind her wherever she went.
Examples
-
Trefoil, a tiny cloverlike flower growing in great abundance close to the ground, would be a challenge in the field.
Academic text (2005) -
We have big patches of Bird's Foot Trefoil like that around here.
Blog text (17) -
So it'll give the same value both for a messy trefoil and for a reduced trefoil.
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In spring, the garden was filled with vibrant green trefoil, which attracted many visiting butterflies.
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I noticed that the field was dotted with small yellow flowers of birdsfoot trefoil among the clover.
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The farmer planted trefoil alongside other legumes to improve soil health and provide forage for his livestock.
Synonyms
38
1.0
A small green plant with three round leaves that farm animals often eat
A plant with leaves divided into three parts, commonly called clover
A group of plants like clover whose leaves have three parts
A clover with yellow flowers that grows in Ireland and is often seen as the real shamrock
A low-growing plant with small yellow flowers and curved black seed pods
A small plant with yellow flowers and seed pods like a bird's foot often grown for animals to eat
A North American plant that lives for one year with bright pink or red pea-like flowers
An annual North American plant with red or pink flowers that grows in prairies
A plant with leaves divided into three small parts and white or light purple flowers that grows at water edges
A shrub with leaves in three parts, yellow flowers, and curving seed pods that smells bad when crushed
A small bush with three leaves and yellow flowers that smells bad when crushed
A plant with three small leaves and sticky pods that cling to clothes or animals
Compounds
A shrub with leaves in three parts, yellow flowers, and curving seed pods that smells bad when crushed
A small plant with yellow flowers and seed pods like a bird's foot often grown for animals to eat
- Irish
A clover with yellow flowers that grows in Ireland and is often seen as the real shamrock
A plant with leaves divided into three small parts and white or light purple flowers that grows at water edges
- UK
A small evergreen bush with soft hairy leaves, yellow summer flowers, and snail-shaped seed pods
A North American plant that lives for one year with bright pink or red pea-like flowers
An annual North American plant with red or pink flowers that grows in prairies
- Specialized
A plant with three small leaves and sticky pods that cling to clothes or animals
A small bush with three leaves and yellow flowers that smells bad when crushed
Surface Forms
Morphology
trefoil = tre + foil
The components correspond to 'three' + 'leaf' so the general idea 'three-lobed' is recoverable, but the forms ('tre-' and '-foil') are specialized/archaic combining forms and may not be obvious to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
The word trefoil comes from the Latin trifolium, which is made of tri- meaning 'three' and folium meaning 'leaf', so it literally means 'three-leaf' and is used for plants like clover that have three leaves.