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trefoil
(trē′fo̵il′)
noun
- any of a number of plants with leaves divided into three leaflets, as the clover, tick trefoil, and certain species of lotus
- a flower or leaf with three lobes
- any ornamental figure resembling a threefold leaf
Origin: ME treyfoyle < Anglo-Fr trifoil < L trifolium, three-leaved plant < tri-, tri- + folium, a leaf: see foil
See trefoil in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- Any of various plants of the genera Trifolium, Lotus, and related genera of the pea family, having compound trifoliate leaves.
- An ornament, symbol, or architectural form having the appearance of a trifoliate leaf.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Anglo-Norman trifoil
Origin: , from Latin trifolium
Origin: : tri-, tri-
Origin: + folium, leaf; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots
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