alfalfa

American  

[al-fal-fuh] / ælˈfæl fə /

noun

1. a plant, Medicago sativa, of the legume family, usually having bluish-purple flowers, originating in western Asia and widely cultivated as a forage crop.

---

alfalfa British  

/ ælˈfælfə /

noun

1. Also called: lucerne.  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

---

Etymology

Origin of alfalfa

First recorded in 1835–45; from Spanish, variant of alfalfez, from Spanish Arabic al “the” + faṣfaṣah from Persian ispist “lucerne”

Explanation

Alfalfa is a plant that's often grown to feed livestock. Hay is commonly made from the dried alfalfa plant. Alfalfa is a flowering perennial, a plant that returns every year, although it's best known as food for dairy cattle and other livestock animals. When the plant is harvested and dried, it's often made into hay, and it's a popular feed because it's high in protein. If you're not a farmer, you may be most familiar with the sprouted form of alfalfa, which many people eat on salads. The word comes from an Arabic root, al-fisfisa, "fresh fodder."

Example Sentences

They’re vegetarians: They eat grass, alfalfa, cassava, sweet potato, carrots, beets, and, at the zoo, a commercial feed.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

“And that’s really not that different from what a field of corn or alfalfa does,” said Troy Rule, the Arizona State University law professor who authored the article.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026

There, instead of burial or cremation, bodies are placed in a sealed vessel containing organic matter such as alfalfa, straw and wood chips.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Feedlot cows are given a special blend of hay, alfalfa, soybean meal, sometimes almond hulls and even what we’d call leftovers — human candy and leftover baked goods.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

Major Major’s father worked without rest at not growing alfalfa.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller