legume
any plant of the legume family, especially those used for feed, food, or as a soil-improving crop.
the pod or seed vessel of such a plant.
any table vegetable of the legume family.
Origin of legume
1Other words from legume
- non·leg·ume, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for legume
/ (ˈlɛɡjuːm, lɪˈɡjuːm) /
the long dry dehiscent fruit produced by leguminous plants; a pod
any table vegetable of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae), esp beans or peas
any leguminous plant
Origin of legume
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for legume
[ lĕg′yōōm′, lə-gyōōm′ ]
Any of a large number of eudicot plants belonging to the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae). 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.
The seed pod of such a plant.
Other words from legume
- leguminous adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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