vetch

American  

[vech] / vɛtʃ /

noun

1. any of several mostly climbing plants belonging to the genus Vicia, of the legume family, having pinnate leaves ending in tendrils and bearing pealike flowers, especially V. sativa spring vetch, cultivated for forage and soil improvement.

2. any of various allied plants, as Lathyrus sativus, of Europe, cultivated for their edible seeds and for forage.

3. the beanlike seed or fruit of any such plant.

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vetch British  

/ vɛtʃ /

noun

1. any of various climbing leguminous plants of the temperate genus Vicia, esp V. sativa, having pinnate leaves, typically blue or purple flowers, and tendrils on the stems

2. any of various similar and related plants, such as Lathyrus sativus, cultivated in parts of Europe, and the kidney vetch

3. the beanlike fruit of any of these plants

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Other Word Forms

• vetchlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of vetch

1325–75; Middle English ve ( c ) che < Anglo-French; Old French vecce ( French vesce ) < Latin vicia

Example Sentences

Most are easy to manage, but the robust grower hairy vetch can be tougher to cut and may grow back from the base.

From Seattle Times

That specificity poses a problem: Deerweed and milk vetch are disturbance plants, which means they require some kind of soil disturbance — like fire — to sprout and outgrow the other plants around them.

From Los Angeles Times

Another is cover cropping, which involves planting crops such as oats or hairy vetch during the winter so fields never lay bare and exposed.

From Scientific American

Cover crops such as rye, vetch, buckwheat, legumes and clover act like living mulch aboveground while restoring the soil below.

From Seattle Times

On the one hand, leguminous cover crops such as cowpeas and vetch add nitrogen to the soil, which microbes can transform into nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.

From Science Magazine