tick trefoil
noun
any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Desmodium, of the legume family, having trifoliolate leaves and jointed pods with hooked hairs by which they adhere to objects.
Origin of tick trefoil
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60
Words nearby tick trefoil
tick box,
tick fever,
tick off,
tick over,
tick paralysis,
tick trefoil,
tick typhus,
tick-bird,
tick-borne,
tick-borne encephalitis virus,
tick-borne typhus
Example sentences from the Web for tick trefoil
Over by the wire fence the tick-trefoil, desmodium, is in its glory.
Some Summer Days in Iowa |Frederick John Lazell
British Dictionary definitions for tick trefoil
tick trefoil
noun
any of various tropical and subtropical leguminous plants of the genus Desmodium, having trifoliate leaves, clusters of small purplish or white flowers, and sticky jointed seed pods, which separate into segments that cling to animals
Also called: beggar-ticks