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vetchlike

 - 2 dictionary results

vetch

[vech] ,
–noun
1. any of several mostly climbing plants belonging to the genus Vicia, of the legume family, having pinnate leaves ending in tendrils and bearing pealike flowers, esp. V. sativa (spring vetch), cultivated for forage and soil improvement.
2. any of various allied plants, as Lathyrus sativus, of Europe, cultivated for their edible seeds and for forage.
3. the beanlike seed or fruit of any such plant.

Origin:
1325–75; ME ve(c)che < AF; OF vecce (F vesce) < L vicia


vetchlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

vetch 
c.1374, from O.N.Fr. veche, variant of O.Fr. vece, from L. vicia, which perhaps is related to vincire "to bind" (cf. second element of periwinkle (1)). Du. wikke, Ger. Wicke are loan-words from L. vicia.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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