sainfoin

American  

[seyn-foin] / ˈseɪn fɔɪn /

noun

1. a Eurasian plant, Onobrychis viciifolia, of the legume family, having pinnate leaves and clusters of pink flowers, used for forage.

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sainfoin British  

/ ˈsænfɔɪn /

noun

1. a Eurasian perennial leguminous plant, Onobrychis viciifolia, widely grown as a forage crop, having pale pink flowers and curved pods

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Etymology

Origin of sainfoin

1620–30; < French, equivalent to Middle French sain (< Latin sānus healthy) + foin (< Latin fēnum, faenum hay)

Example Sentences

Fiver and Acorn followed him out and fell to nibbling at a patch of sainfoin.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

A brace of partridges rose out of the sainfoin, and flew down the hills; and watching their curving flight Esther and William saw the sea under the sun-setting, and the string of coast towns.

From Esther Waters by Moore, George (George Augustus)

The land that has been lost to the plough is found to be still further augmented when an inquiry is instituted into the area devoted to clover, sainfoin and grasses under rotation.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

A field of sainfoin in June, with its glorious blossoms of pink, is one of the prettiest sights in all creation.

From A Cotswold Village by Gibbs, J. Arthur

There are occasional fields of sainfoin and of turnips; but these latter are small, and no ridging or hurdling is yet practised.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 12, No. 73, November, 1863 by Various