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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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

legume

/ ĕ̅̅′,ə-̅̅ /

  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.
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Other yvlog Forms

  • ԴDz·u noun
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of legume1

First recorded in 1670–80; from French éܳ “vegetable,” from Latin ū “pulse” (a leguminous plant), derivative of legere “to choose, gather, read”
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of legume1

C17: from French éܳ, from Latin ū bean, from legere to pick (a crop)
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes remain the best source of prebiotics, and these beverages should be part of a broader, balanced approach to health.

From

Corn farmers across the Midwest are experimenting with drought-resistant millets, while growers in Sub-Saharan Africa are embracing varieties of sorghum and legumes that require less water than other grains.

From

Plant-based foods like legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds are incredibly nutrient-dense, delivering a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber in every bite.

From

At the Shoreline Fuel Mart, the longtime home of the languishing legume, an employee answered a phone call from a Times reporter this week with a sigh, saying: “Everybody keeps calling us about this.”

From

While animal sources have the highest protein content, plant food sources, such as whole grains, legumes such as beans, and nuts and seeds also contain protein.

From

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More About Legume

What doeslegume mean?

The word legume most commonly refers to the edible seed pods of plants in the legume family, which includes some beans, peas, and lentils.

The peanut is famously not a nut but a legume.

The word legume can also refer to the plants themselves. These include herbs, shrubs, trees, and vines that usually have compound leaves and clusters of irregular flowers.

The fruit from such plants (the beans or other edible part) usually comes in the form of a pod that splits along both sides—chickpeas and peanuts split down the middle in this way.

Many legumes are widely grown as food for humans and animals. Some legumes are planted to improve the nitrogen content of the soil where they grow.

An adjective form of the word is leguminous, which is used to describe such plants.

Example: My nutritionist recommended legumes as a good source of protein.

Where doeslegume come from?

The first records of the word legume in English come from around the 1600s. It comes from the French version of the word, éܳ, meaning “vegetable.” It ultimately derives from the Latin ū, meaning “bean,” from the Latin verb legere, meaning “to pick (a crop).”

Legumes are eaten and used to make foods around the world. Some of the most popular legumes are chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), which are a staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. Hummus is made from chickpeas. One of the most versatile legumes is the soybean, which is used to make tofu, soy sauce, some vegetable oil, and other products marketed as “plant-based.” Like soybeans, black-eyed peas are eaten by humans as well as used to feed livestock (hence their other name, cowpeas) and planted to improve the soil.

Legumes add nitrogen to soil through bacteria that live on their roots. These bacteria take nitrogen from the air—which is otherwise unusable by the plants—and convert it into compounds that the plants can use. Think about that next time you’re dipping into your hummus.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms of legume?

What are some words that share a root or word element with legume?

What are some words that often get used in discussing legume?

How islegumeused in real life?

Legumes are most often discussed in relation to eating them.

Try usinglegume!

Which of the following foods is a legume?

A. peanut
B. soybean
C. chickpea
D. all of the above

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