trefoil

[ tree-foil, tref-oil ]

/ ˈtri fɔɪl, ˈtrɛf ɔɪl /

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noun

any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Trifolium, of the legume family, having usually digitate leaves of three leaflets and reddish, purple, yellow, or white flower heads, comprising the common clovers.

any of various similar plants.

Architecture. an ornament composed of three lobes, divided by cusps, radiating from a common center.

such an ornamental figure used by the Girl Scouts as its official emblem.

adjective

of, relating to, or shaped like a trefoil.

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…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of trefoil

1350–1400; Middle English <Anglo-French trifoil<Latin trifolium triple leaf, the three-leaved plant, clover, equivalent to tri-tri- + folium leaf

Words nearby trefoil

treetop, treeware, tree yucca, tref, treflé, trefoil, trefoil arch, trefoil knot, trehala, trehalose, treillage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trefoil in a sentence

The windows on the south side of the clerestory are without the trefoil which ornaments the base of those on the north side.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle|C. King Eley
A "trefoil arch" connects the 113six chief pillars, on each of which stands a statue of a Virtue.
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa|Edward Hutton
The points of the omega are generally changed into small circles, leaves, or trefoil; and the disk itself is placed on a pedestal.
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson
Hundreds of yards of canvas, with the Tokugawa trefoil, had been stretched along the road to Kurihma.
Historic Adventures|Rupert S. Holland

Treste, the trefoil leaf, or clover-grass (corruptly called Clubs) alludes to the husbandmen and peasants.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts

British Dictionary definitions for trefoil

trefoil

/ (ˈtrɛfɔɪl) /

noun

any of numerous leguminous plants of the temperate genus Trifolium, having leaves divided into three leaflets and dense heads of small white, yellow, red, or purple flowers

any of various related plants having leaves divided into three leaflets, such as bird's-foot trefoil

a leaf having three leaflets

architect an ornament in the form of three arcs arranged in a circle

Derived forms of trefoil

trefoiled, adjective

Word Origin for trefoil

C14: from Anglo-French trifoil, from Latin trifolium three-leaved herb, from tri- + folium leaf

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012