alfalfa
[ al-fal-fuh ]
/ ælˈfæl fə /
noun
a plant, Medicago sativa, of the legume family, usually having bluish-purple flowers, originating in the Near East and widely cultivated as a forage crop.
Also called
lucerne,
purple medic.
Origin of alfalfa
1835–45; < Spanish, variant of
alfalfez < Spanish Arabic
al the +
faṣfaṣah < Persian
ispist lucerne
Words nearby alfalfa
alexius i,
alexius i comnenus,
aleyard,
alf,
alfa,
alfalfa,
alfalfa butterfly,
alfalfa weevil,
alfaro,
alfheim,
alfie
British Dictionary definitions for purple medic (1 of 2)
British Dictionary definitions for purple medic (2 of 2)
alfalfa
/ (ælˈfælfə) /
noun
a leguminous plant, Medicago sativa, of Europe and Asia, having compound leaves with three leaflets and clusters of small purplish flowers. It is widely cultivated for forage and as a nitrogen fixer and used as a commercial source of chlorophyll
Also called: lucerne
Word Origin for alfalfa
C19: from Spanish, from Arabic
al-fasfasah, from
al the +
fasfasah the best sort of fodder