lucerne

¹

or lu·cern

[ loo-surn ]

noun

1. alfalfa.

Lucerne

²

[ loo-surn; French ly-sern ]

noun

1. a canton in central Switzerland. 576 sq. mi. (1,490 sq. km).
2. the capital of this canton, on Lake of Lucerne.
3. Lake of. Also called Lake of the Four Forest Cantons. a lake in central Switzerland. 24 miles (39 km) long; 44 sq. mi. (114 sq. km).

Lucerne

¹

/ luːˈsɜːn; lysɛrn /

noun

1. a canton in central Switzerland, northwest of Lake Lucerne: joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1332. Pop: 352 300 (2002 est). Area: 1494 sq km (577 sq miles)
2. a city in central Switzerland, capital of Lucerne canton, on Lake Lucerne: tourist centre. Pop: 59 496 (2000)
3. Lake Lucerne
   a lake in central Switzerland: fed and drained chiefly by the River Reuss. Area: 115 sq km (44 sq miles) German nameVierwaldstättersee

lucerne

²

/ luːˈsɜːn /

noun

1. another name for alfalfa

Word History and Origins

Origin of lucerne¹

1620–30; alteration (by association with Latin lucerna lamp) of French luzerne < Provençal luzerno glowworm (the plant was so called in allusion to its bright seeds); akin to Old Provençal luzerna lamp < Vulgar Latin *lūcerna, for Latin lucerna. See lucid

Example Sentences

Nhamo gathered up the lucerne and trotted off to the village.

From Literature

We hopped out, baskets in hand, to collect yarrow and lucerne, which tastes like peas.

From Washington Post

The animals have been fed lucerne, a kind of super-nutritious hay, the past few weeks.

From Reuters

When a coalmine tunnelled under a nearby creek, it contaminated the water the farm relied on for irrigation, causing her lucerne crops to fail.

From The Guardian

A worker throws lucerne, also known as alfalfa, to white rhinos on Hume’s farm.

From National Geographic