trefoil

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: tre=foil

CIDE DICTIONARY

trefoil, n. [L. tres three + E. foil leaf; cf. F. frèfle, It. trifoglio, L. trifolium. See Tri-, Foil leaf, and cf. Trifoly.].

•  Any plant of the genus Trifolium, which includes the white clover, red clover, etc.; -- less properly, applied also to the nonesuch, or black medic. See Clover, and Medic.  [1913 Webster]
•  An ornamental foliation consisting of three divisions, or foils.  [1913 Webster]
•  A charge representing the clover leaf.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

trefoil, n. & adj.
--n.
1 any leguminous plant of the genus Trifolium, with leaves of three leaflets and flowers of various colours, esp. clover.
2 any plant with similar leaves.
3 a three-lobed ornamentation, esp. in tracery windows.
4 a thing arranged in or with three lobes.
--adj. of or concerning a three-lobed plant, window tracery, etc.

Derivative

trefoiled adj. (also in comb.).

Etymology

ME f. AF trifoil f. L trifolium (as TRI-, folium leaf)

THESAURUS

trefoil

clover, deuce-ace, leash, set of three, shamrock, tercet, ternary, ternion, terzetto, three, threesome, tierce, trey, triad, trialogue, triangle, tricorn, trident, triennium, trihedron, trilogy, trimester, trine, trinity, trinomial, trio, triphthong, triple crown, triple threat, triplet, triplopy, tripod, triptych, trireme, triseme, triskelion, trisul, triumvirate, triunity, trivet, troika

ROGET THESAURUS

trefoil

Triality

N triality, trinity, triunity, three, triad, triplet, trey, trio, ternion, leash, shamrock, tierce, spike-team, trefoil, triangle, trident, triennium, trigon, trinomial, trionym, triplopia, tripod, trireme, triseme, triskele, triskelion, trisula, third power, cube, cube root, three, triform, trinal, trinomial, tertiary, ternary, triune, triarch, triadie, triple, tri-, tris-, tria juncta in uno.