legume

American  

[leg-yoom, li-gyoom] / ˈlɛg yum, lɪˈgyum /

noun

1. any plant of the legume family, especially those used for feed, food, or as a soil-improving crop.

2. the pod or seed vessel of such a plant.

3. any table vegetable of the legume family.

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legume British  

/ lɪˈɡjuːm, ˈlɛɡjuːm /

noun

1. the long dry dehiscent fruit produced by leguminous plants; a pod

2. any table vegetable of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae ), esp beans or peas

3. any leguminous plant

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legume Scientific  

/ lĕg′yo̅o̅m′,lə-gyo̅o̅m′ /

1. 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.

2. The seed pod of such a plant.

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Usage

What does legume mean? The word legume most commonly refers to the edible seed pods of plants in the legume family, which includes some beans, peas, and lentils. The peanut is famously not a nut but a legume. The word legume can also refer to the plants themselves. These include herbs, shrubs, trees, and vines that usually have compound leaves and clusters of irregular flowers. The fruit from such plants (the beans or other edible part) usually comes in the form of a pod that splits along both sides—chickpeas and peanuts split down the middle in this way. Many legumes are widely grown as food for humans and animals. Some legumes are planted to improve the nitrogen content of the soil where they grow. An adjective form of the word is leguminous, which is used to describe such plants. Example: My nutritionist recommended legumes as a good source of protein.

Other Word Forms

• nonlegume
  noun

Etymology

Origin of legume

First recorded in 1670–80; from French légume “vegetable,” from Latin legūmen “pulse” (a leguminous plant), derivative of legere “to choose, gather, read”

Explanation

A legume is not your regular type of fruit; it's more like a pod. Peas, beans, and peanuts are all examples of legumes. A legume is a type of food that comes from a specific type of plant that is also called a legume. Legumes come from the family Leguminosae, and a trait all legumes share is that they grow in a type of pod. A bowl of pea soup is full of legumes, and so is a bag of peanuts. Lentils, soy, and clover are all legumes. Legumes are high in protein and not very fatty, so they are generally considered healthy.

Example Sentences

Legume hordes like clover pull nitrogen from the air, reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, and the milking parlour is 80-percent solar- and wind-powered.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

A new form of alternative rices has popped up in recent months, too: Legume and chickpea rices are a high-protein alternative rice, from the companies Banza and RightRice.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2019

The adding machine was developed in response to the Great Legume Failure of 1931, when accountants in Chicago were unable to do their work because they did not have enough beans to count.

From Washington Post • Feb. 2, 2017

Legume: a plant belonging to the family of the pea, clover, and bean; that is, having a flower of similar structure.

From Agriculture for Beginners Revised Edition by Burkett, Charles William

Legume crops are grown in great abundance and are often plowed under to help the land.

From The Story of the Soil; from the Basis of Absolute Science and Real Life, by Hopkins, Cyril G. (Cyril George)

Related Words

• herb
• produce
• salad