Main Entry:

le·gume

Pronunciation:

\ˈle-ˌgyüm, li-ˈgyüm\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French légume, from Latin legumin-, legumen leguminous plant, from legere to gather — more at legend

Date:

1676

1 a: the fruit or seed of plants of the legume family (as peas or beans) used for food b: a vegetable used for food2: any of a large family (Leguminosae syn. Fabaceae, the legume family) of dicotyledonous herbs, shrubs, and trees having fruits that are legumes (sense 3) or loments, bearing nodules on the roots that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and including important food and forage plants (as peas, beans, or clovers)3: a dry dehiscent one-celled fruit developed from a simple superior ovary and usually dehiscing into two valves with the seeds attached to the ventral suture : pod