trefoil
(noun) an architectural ornament in the form of three arcs arranged in a circle
clover, trefoil
(noun) a plant of the genus Trifolium
medic, medick, trefoil
(noun) any of several Old World herbs of the genus Medicago having small flowers and trifoliate compound leaves
Source: WordNet® 3.1
trefoil (plural trefoils)
Any of several plants of the pea family, having compound, trifoliate leaves; especially one of the genus Trifolium.
A symbol having the shape of such leaves, especially when used as an architectural ornament.
(topology) Ellipsis of trefoil knot.
• quatrefoil
• cinquefoil
• hexafoil
• sexfoil
• octofoil
• multifoil
• polyfoil
• loftier
Source: Wiktionary
Tre"foil, n. Etym: [L. tres three + E. foil leaf; cf. F. frèfle, It. trifoglio, L. trifolium. See Tri-, Foil leaf, and cf. Trifoly.]
1. (Bot.)
Definition: 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.
2. (Arch.)
Definition: An ornamental foliation consisting of three divisions, or foils.
3. (Her.)
Definition: A charge representing the clover leaf.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
24 May 2025
(adjective) sufficiently significant to affect the whole world; “earthshaking proposals”; “the contest was no world-shaking affair”; “the conversation...could hardly be called world-shattering”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
