Alfalfa Definition
ăl-fălfə
noun
A southwest Asian perennial herb (Medicago sativa) in the pea family, having compound leaves with three leaflets and clusters of usually blue-violet flowers. It is widely cultivated as a pasture and hay crop.
American Heritage
A deep-rooted perennial plant (Medicago sativa) of the pea family, with small divided leaves, purple cloverlike flowers, and spiral pods, used extensively for fodder and pasture and as a cover crop.
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Alfalfa
Noun
Singular:
alfalfa
Plural:
alfalfasOrigin of Alfalfa
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Spanish from Arabic al-faṭfaṭa al- the faṭfaṭa alfalfa (variant of fiṭfiṭa) (ultimately (probably via Coptic p-espesta) (p- masculine sing. definite article) (espesta alfalfa)) (from Aramaic espestā) (from Middle Persian aspast) (from Old Iranian aspasti-) (aspa- horse ekwo- in Indo-European roots) (-sti- food, fodder ed- in Indo-European roots)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Spanish alfalfez, from Arabic الفصفصة (al-fíṣfiṣa, al-fáṣfaṣa, “fresh fodder”), from Persian اسپست (espest, aspest), from Middle Persian (aspast).
From Wiktionary
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