vetch (redirected from common vetches)

vetch  (vch)

n.

Any of various herbs of the genus Vicia, having pinnately compound leaves that terminate in tendrils and small, variously colored flowers.

---

[Middle English vetche, from Old North French veche, from Latin vicia; see weik-² in Indo-European roots.]

---

vetch

Noun

1. a climbing plant with blue or purple flowers

2. the beanlike fruit of the vetch, used as fodder [Latin vicia]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

vetch - any of various climbing plants of the genus Vicia having pinnately compound leaves that terminate in tendrils and small variously colored flowers; includes valuable forage and soil-building plants legume, leguminous plant - an erect or climbing bean or pea plant of the family Leguminosae genus Vicia, Vicia - widely distributed genus of annual or perennial and often climbing herbs tare - any of several weedy vetches grown for forage bird vetch, Calnada pea, tufted vetch, Vicia cracca - common perennial climber of temperate regions of Eurasia and North America having dense elongate clusters of flowers bitter betch, Vicia orobus - European perennial toxic vetch spring vetch, Vicia sativa - herbaceous climbing plant valuable as fodder and for soil-building bush vetch, Vicia sepium - European purple-flowered with slender stems; occurs as a weed in hedges