Legume
/ˈliː.ɡjuːm/noun
A plant in the pea family or its pod or seed, especially when used as food.
Did you know?Legume comes through French from Latin legumen, a name for a pod or pulse, and it’s ultimately tied to the Latin root legere, “to gather” or “pick,” a root that also gave English words like lecture and collect.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“to gather, pick up, choose”
Latin
Latin
legere
“to gather, pick, read”
Latin
Latin
legumen
“a pulse, pea, bean, or pod”
Old French
Old French
legume
“a pulse or pod”
Late Middle English
English
legume
“a pulse, bean, or pod”
Modern English
English
legume
“a plant in the pea family, or its edible seed or pod”