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trefoil Definition

tre·foil (trē′fo̵il′)

noun

    1. any of a number of plants with leaves divided into three leaflets, as the clover, tick trefoil, and certain species of lotus
    2. a flower or leaf with three lobes
  2. any ornamental figure resembling a threefold leaf

Etymology: ME treyfoyle < Anglo-Fr trifoil < L trifolium, three-leaved plant < tri-, tri- + folium, a leaf: see foil

trefoil Usage Examples

Possessives

  • bird: The flowers were lovely -lots of pale blue spring squill, and the brilliant yellow of the birds ' foot trefoil.

Converse of object

  • include: The simplest knots include the trefoil and figure-eight knots.
  • foot: Best sites are with long grass and lots of wildflowers particularly with birds foot trefoil and pignut.
  • head: However the three mosaics in trefoil headed surrounds on the north wall behind the font are from Christ Church.
  • have: It has odd trefoil headed arches with head corbels.

Adjective modifier

  • lesser: Persistence and Spread: Lesser trefoil forms a persistent seedbank.
  • yellow: Leaves of the yellow trefoil answered the same purpose.
  • small: In the middle of the lower part of the rectangle, there is a small trefoil.
  • pointed: The oldest remaining part of the medieval church is a window of two lights with pointed trefoils and a rounded trefoil above.

Modifies a noun

  • tracery: Except in the tower, the 1857 windows are trefoil-headed lights with trefoil tracery above, set in square-headed apertures.
  • knot: Here is a picture of a trefoil knot constructed with six sticks: Fig 10: A trefoil knot made from six sticks.
  • head: Above are two small tiers of blank arcading with trefoil heads.
  • factor: AB - Peptides belonging to the trefoil factor family ( TFF ) protect the gastrointestinal epithelia.
  • light: A small trefoil light in a triangular frame is set high up in the gable.
  • protein: Studies of the three dimensional structure of a few of these trefoil proteins have been completed in the past few years.

Noun used with modifier

  • bird's-foot: There is a close association with bird's-foot trefoil, which is probably the main source of pollen.
  • birdsfoot: A female common blue feeds on birdsfoot trefoil by the rocky path nearby while two male common blues fly over the open ground.
  • foot: Wild Flowers Bird's foot trefoil During summer there is a succession of wild flowers.
  • bird: It contains common broomrape, basil, marjoram, bladder campion, sweet violet, field scabious and birds foot trefoil.
  • hop: Hop Trefoil ) was even growing in cracks in the pavement.