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legume

 - 5 dictionary results

leg⋅ume

  [leg-yoom, li-gyoom]
Use legume in a Sentence
–noun
1. any plant of the legume family, esp. those used for feed, food, or as a soil-improving crop.
2. the pod or seed vessel of such a plant.
3. any table vegetable of the legume family.
Origin:
1670–80; < F légume vegetable < L legūmen pulse, a leguminous plant, deriv. of legere to gather
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To legume
leg·ume   (lěg'yōōm', lə-gyōōm')   
n.  

    1. A pod, such as that of a pea or bean, that splits into two valves with the seeds attached to one edge of the valves.

    2. Such a pod or seed used as food.

  2. A plant of the pea family.


[French légume, from Latin legūmen, bean.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

legume 
"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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

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
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
legume   (lěg'ym', lə-gym')  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Any of a large number of eudicot plants belonging to the family Leguminosae (or Fabaceae). Their characteristic fruit is a seed pod. Legumes live in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in structures called nodules on their roots. These bacteria are able to take nitrogen from the air, which is in a form that plants cannot use, and convert it into compounds that the plants can use. Many legumes are widely cultivated for food, as fodder for livestock, and as a means of improving the nitrogen content of soils. Beans, peas, clover, alfalfa, locust trees, and acacia trees are all legumes.

  2. The seed pod of such a plant.


leguminous adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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