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vetch

[ vech ]
/ vɛtʃ /

noun

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.
any of various allied plants, as Lathyrus sativus, of Europe, cultivated for their edible seeds and for forage.
the beanlike seed or fruit of any such plant.

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Origin of vetch

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

OTHER WORDS FROM vetch

vetchlike, adjective

Words nearby vetch

Vesuvian, vesuvianite, vesuvianite jade, Vesuvius, vet, vetch, vetchling, veter., veteran, veteran car, Veterans Administration
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for vetch

British Dictionary definitions for vetch

vetch
/ (vɛtʃ) /

noun

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
any of various similar and related plants, such as Lathyrus sativus, cultivated in parts of Europe, and the kidney vetch
the beanlike fruit of any of these plants

Word Origin for vetch

C14: fecche, from Old French veche, from Latin vicia
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