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trefoil

Other forms: trefoils

Definitions of trefoil
  1. noun
    a plant of the genus Trifolium
    synonyms: clover
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    types:
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    Trifolium alpinum, alpine clover
    European mountain clover with fragrant usually pink flowers
    Trifolium dubium, hop clover, lesser yellow trefoil, shamrock
    clover native to Ireland with yellowish flowers; often considered the true or original shamrock
    Italian clover, Trifolium incarnatum, crimson clover
    southern European annual with spiky heads of crimson flower; extensively cultivated in United States for forage
    Trifolium pratense, purple clover, red clover
    erect to decumbent short-lived perennial having red-purple to pink flowers; the most commonly grown forage clover
    Trifolium reflexum, Trifolium stoloniferum, buffalo clover
    clover of western United States
    Trifolium repens, dutch clover, shamrock, white clover
    creeping European clover having white to pink flowers and bright green leaves; naturalized in United States; widely grown for forage
    type of:
    herb, herbaceous plant
    a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
  2. noun
    an architectural ornament in the form of three arcs arranged in a circle
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    type of:
    architectural ornament
    (architecture) something added to a building to improve its appearance
  3. noun
    any of several Old World herbs of the genus Medicago having small flowers and trifoliate compound leaves
    synonyms: medic, medick
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    Medicago arborea, moon trefoil
    evergreen shrub of southern European highlands having downy foliage and a succession of yellow flowers throughout the summer followed by curious snail-shaped pods
    Medicago falcata, sickle alfalfa, sickle lucerne, sickle medick
    European medic naturalized in North America having yellow flowers and sickle-shaped pods
    Calvary clover, Medicago echinus, Medicago intertexta
    an annual of the Mediterranean area having spiny seed pods and leaves with dark spots
    Medicago lupulina, black medick, hop clover, nonesuch clover, yellow trefoil
    prostrate European herb with small yellow flowers and curved black pods; naturalized in North America
    Medicago sativa, alfalfa, lucerne
    important European leguminous forage plant with trifoliate leaves and blue-violet flowers grown widely as a pasture and hay crop
    type of:
    herb, herbaceous plant
    a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
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