tick-trefoil

noun

One of several species in the genus Desmodium in the legume family

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nountick-trefoil (plural tick-trefoils)

plural tick-trefoils

  1. One of several species in the genus Desmodium in the legume family

Origin

From tick + trefoil (“three-leaved”). Tick refers to the plant's loments – pods that break apart into segments that each contain one seed – which have small hooked hairs that allow the segments to stick to clothes, hair, or fur, similar to the way a tick clings on with its legs.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tick-trefoil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tick-trefoil

MLA

“tick-trefoil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tick-trefoil. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tick-trefoil,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tick-trefoil.

Source: tick-trefoil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.