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alfalfa
[ al-fal-fuh ]
/ ælˈfæl fə /
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noun
a plant, Medicago sativa, of the legume family, usually having bluish-purple flowers, originating in western Asia and widely cultivated as a forage crop.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also called lucerne, purple medic.
Origin of alfalfa
First recorded in 1835–45; from Spanish, variant of alfalfez, from Spanish Arabic al “the” + faṣfaṣah from Persian ispist “lucerne”
Words nearby alfalfa
Alexius I, Alexius I Comnenus, aleyard, Alf, Alfa, alfalfa, alfalfa butterfly, alfalfa weevil, Al Farabi, Alfaro, Al Fatah
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use alfalfa in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for alfalfa
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 chlorophyllAlso called: lucerne
Word Origin for alfalfa
C19: from Spanish, from Arabic al-fasfasah, from al the + fasfasah the best sort of fodder
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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