Trefoil
/ˈtriː.fɔɪl/noun
A plant or leaf divided into three leaflets, especially clover; also a three-lobed ornamental shape.
Did you know?Trefoil comes through Old French from Latin *trifolium*, and the same Latin root also gave us *clover*, because both words were used for plants with three leaflets.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tréyes
“three”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰel-
“to bloom, flourish”
Latin
Latin
trifolium
“three-leaved plant, especially clover”
Old French
Old French
trefoille
“clover; three-leaved plant”
Middle English
English
trefoile
“a three-leaved plant or ornament”
Modern English
English
trefoil
“a plant with three leaflets or a three-lobed decorative form”