trefoil (redirected from trefoils)

tre·foil  (trfoil, trfoil) n. 1. Any of various plants of the genera Trifolium, Lotus, and related genera of the pea family, having compound trifoliate leaves. 2. An ornament, symbol, or architectural form having the appearance of a trifoliate leaf. [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman trifoil, from Latin trifolium : tri-, tri- + folium, leaf; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.]

trefoil

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trefoil [tref-foil]

Noun

1. a plant, such as clover, with leaves divided into three smaller leaves

2. Archit a carved ornament with a shape like such leaves [Latin trifolium three-leaved herb]

trefoiled adj

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	trefoil - any of several Old World herbs of the genus Medicago having small flowers and trifoliate compound leaves medic, medick herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests genus Medicago, Medicago - a genus of herbs that resemble clover 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 black medick, hop clover, Medicago lupulina, nonesuch clover, yellow trefoil - prostrate European herb with small yellow flowers and curved black pods; naturalized in North America alfalfa, lucerne, Medicago sativa - important European leguminous forage plant with trifoliate leaves and blue-violet flowers grown widely as a pasture and hay crop
	2.	trefoil - a plant of the genus Trifolium clover genus Trifolium, Trifolium - any leguminous plant having leaves divided into three leaflets alpine clover, Trifolium alpinum - European mountain clover with fragrant usually pink flowers lesser yellow trefoil, Trifolium dubium, hop clover, shamrock - clover native to Ireland with yellowish flowers; often considered the true or original shamrock crimson clover, Italian clover, Trifolium incarnatum - southern European annual with spiky heads of crimson flower; extensively cultivated in United States for forage purple clover, red clover, Trifolium pratense - 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 dutch clover, shamrock, Trifolium repens, white clover - creeping European clover having white to pink flowers and bright green leaves; naturalized in United States; widely grown for forage herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
	3.	trefoil - an architectural ornament in the form of three arcs arranged in a circle architectural ornament - (architecture) something added to a building to improve its appearance