legume

[ leg-yoom, li-gyoom ]

noun

1. any plant of the legume family, especially those used for feed, food, or as a soil-improving crop.
2. the pod or seed vessel of such a plant.
3. any table vegetable of the legume family.

legume

/ lɪˈɡjuːm; ˈlɛɡjuːm /

noun

1. the long dry dehiscent fruit produced by leguminous plants; a pod
2. any table vegetable of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae ), esp beans or peas
3. any leguminous plant

legume

/ lĕg′yo̅o̅m′,lə-gyo̅o̅m′ /

1. Any of a large number of eudicot plants belonging to the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae). Their characteristic fruit is a seed pod. Legumes live in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in structures called nodules on their roots. These bacteria are able to take nitrogen from the air, which is in a form that plants cannot use, and convert it into compounds that the plants can use. Many legumes are widely cultivated for food, as fodder for livestock, and as a means of improving the nitrogen content of soils. Beans, peas, clover, alfalfa, locust trees, and acacia trees are all legumes.
2. The seed pod of such a plant.

Other Words From

• non·legume noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of legume¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from French légume “vegetable,” from Latin legūmen “pulse” (a leguminous plant), derivative of legere “to choose, gather, read”

Word History and Origins

Origin of legume¹

C17: from French légume, from Latin legūmen bean, from legere to pick (a crop)

Example Sentences

He added, "Soybeans are a legume that contains a great deal of protein. Soybeans are 40% protein, while wheat is only 10%. Therefore, the more soybeans you use, the more protein you have."

From Salon

Standing knee-deep in an emerald expanse, a row of trees offering respite from the sweltering heat, Rosa Morales diligently relocates chipilín, a Central American legume, from one bed of soil to another.

From Salon

In an interdisciplinary study, researchers discovered that symbiotic bacteria communicate with legume plants through specific molecules and that this communication influences which bacteria grow near the plant roots.

From Science Daily

The results in Nature Communications find that symbiotic, nitrogen-fixing bacteria can ensure dominance among soil microbes due to its signalling-based communication with the legume plant host.

From Science Daily

Researchers discovered that when legumes need nitrogen, they will send out from the roots and into the soil specific molecules that are in turn recognized by the symbiotic bacteria to produce another molecule, the Nod factor which is recognized back by the legume plant.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• herb
• produce
• salad