Alfalfa


a plant, Medicago sativa, of the legume family, usually having bluish-purple flowers, originating in the Near East and widely cultivated as a forage crop.
Contemporary Examples

A small flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, known as alfalfa.
Obama’s Organic Game Eve Conant October 14, 2011

The alfalfa Club dinner crowd in tiaras was the order of the night.
Staking Out Kissinger’s 90th-Birthday Party Nina Strochlic June 3, 2013

They grew up as crop and dairy farmers in Iowa, tending corn, soy, alfalfa, hay, oats and clover.
An American Prairie Feast Sophie Menin July 16, 2010

To wit, Parvin has been a member of the alfalfa Club for 26 years.
How Funny Is Obama? Sandra McElwaine January 29, 2009

They will concentrate instead on farming their 1,900 acres of alfalfa, 1,600 acres of corn, and 1,400 acres of soybeans.
Iowa Straw Poll Drawing Yawns Lauren Ashburn August 8, 2011

Historical Examples

The most valuable in providing hay are the medium red, alfalfa and alsike.
Clovers and How to Grow Them Thomas Shaw

And near them long trains of burros laden with grain, alfalfa, straw, or wood.
Aztec Land Maturin M. Ballou

I’ve got a ten-acre orange grove now and two hundred acres of alfalfa and a foreman who lets me gad!
Still Jim Honor Willsie Morrow

The Dean could have been enticed away to examine the alfalfa and the pumping system.
The Forbidden Trail Honor Willsie

We have our grub box filled, and our oil can; also grain for the horses and some alfalfa hay.
The Cruise of a Schooner Albert W. Harris

noun
a leguminous plant, Medicago sativa, of Europe and Asia, having compound leaves with three leaflets and clusters of small purplish flowers. It is widely cultivated for forage and as a nitrogen fixer and used as a commercial source of chlorophyll Also called lucerne
n.

1845, from Spanish alfalfa, earlier alfalfez, from Arabic al-fisfisa “fresh fodder.”

Read Also:

  • Alfaro

    (Flavio) Eloy [flah-vyaw-e-loi] /ˈflɑ vyɔ ɛˈlɔɪ/ (Show IPA), 1864–1912, Ecuadorian political leader: president 1897–1901, 1907–11. Contemporary Examples After a worker called 911, Alfaro says the plant manager, Michael Leblanc, gathered up the workers to scare them straight. Walmart “Unable to Substantiate” Forced Labor Claims at Seafood Supplier Aram Roston June 13, 2012 Historical Examples And […]

  • Alfheim

    the domain of elves. Historical Examples In spite of the cloud that hung over Asgard all was fair and peaceful in Alfheim. The Heroes of Asgard Annie Keary The road from Alfheim to Svartheim is not as long as you would be apt to imagine. The Heroes of Asgard Annie Keary Alfheim the gods to […]

  • Alfie

    a male given name, form of . Contemporary Examples A year later, he starred in Alfie, playing a man who beds every woman in sight. Michael Caine Tells His Life Straight Jacob Bernstein October 24, 2010 I would have to say that the importance of what “Alfie” says, its meaning. Burt Bacharach: How I Write […]

  • Alfieri

    Count Vittorio [veet-taw-ryaw] /vitˈtɔ ryɔ/ (Show IPA), 1749–1803, Italian dramatist and poet. Historical Examples It includes a careful perusal of Alfieri’s writings and an examination into the evidences of the Christian religion. Margaret Fuller (Marchesa Ossoli) Julia Ward Howe It is only in expressing the character of Philip that Alfieri has a clear superiority. The […]

  • Alfilaria

    a European plant, Erodium cicutarium, of the geranium family, grown for forage in the U.S. Historical Examples There had been many winter snows and spring rains, so that the alfilaria covered the hills with a carpet of grass. Mavericks William MacLeod Raine The Geranium, like the alfilaria, has a fruit resembling the long beak of […]


Disclaimer: Alfalfa definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.