Monday Word: vetch

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

vetch [vech]

noun

1. any of several mostly climbing plants belonging to the genus Vicia, of the legume family, having pinnate leaves ending in tendrils and bearing pealike flowers, especially V. sativa spring vetch, cultivated for forage and soil improvement.

2. any of various allied plants, as Lathyrus sativus, of Europe, cultivated for their edible seeds and for forage.

3. the beanlike seed or fruit of any such plant.

examples

1. On the one hand, leguminous cover crops such as cowpeas and vetch add nitrogen to the soil, which microbes can transform into nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. "Can farmers fight climate change? New U.S. law gives them billions to try" 16 Aug 2022. Science Magazine.

2. The crown vetch and the curly dock / are almost eliminated as I survey the neatness / of my work. "The Burying Beetle" by Ada Limón

origin
Middle English fecche, veche, from Middle French dialect (Norman & Picard) veche, from Latin vicia; perhaps akin to Latin vincire to bind

Comments

[sallymn]

I like it :)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you!