tick-trefoil

The pods (loments) of Desmodium gangeticum, with hooked hairs visible around the edges

Meaning

Noun

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

Origin

  • From tick + trefoil. 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.

Modern English dictionary

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