Etymology

trefoil knot

Today it means: A knot formed by joining the two loose ends of a overhand knot to form a knotted loop; the simplest non-trivial knot. Full definition →

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The story

From trefoil + knot, from being a knot theory knot, where its simplest symmetrical configuration appears like a trefoil. File:Trefoil-non-3-symm.svg|A trefoil knot lacking three-fold symmetry File:Tricoloring.png|The trefoil knot with each lobe highlighted File:Trefoil Knot.gif|Trefoil knot

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.