"plant of the group of the pulse family," 1676, from Fr. légume, from L. legumen, of unknown origin. One suggestion ties it to L. legere "to gather" (see lecture), because they can be scooped by the handful. Used in M.E. in the L. form legumen (1398).
Main Entry: le·gume Pronunciation: 'leg-"yüm, li-'gyüm Function: noun 1: the fruit or seed of leguminous plants (as peas or beans)used for food 2: any plant of the family Leguminosae