alfalfa

See also: Alfalfa

English

Etymology

PIE word
*h₁éḱwos

    From Spanish alfalfa, from Old Spanish alfalfez, from Arabic الْفَصْفَصَة (al-faṣfaṣa, alfalfa, lucerne).

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ælˈfælfə/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)

    Noun

    alfalfa (countable and uncountable, plural alfalfas)

    1. (uncountable) A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.
      Synonym: (British) lucerne
      • 1937, John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men[1], New York: Covici Friede, page 100:
        “No place for rabbits now, but I could easy build a few hutches and you could feed alfalfa to the rabbits.”
    2. (countable) A type or breed of this plant.

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • Irish: alfalfa
    • Welsh: alffalffa

    Translations

    Further reading

    Finnish

    Etymology

    From Spanish alfalfa.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈɑlfɑlfɑ/, [ˈɑ̝lfɑ̝lfɑ̝]
    • Rhymes: -ɑlfɑlfɑ
    • Syllabification(key): al‧fal‧fa
    • Hyphenation(key): al‧fal‧fa

    Noun

    alfalfa

    1. alfalfa

    Declension

    Inflection of alfalfa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
    nominative alfalfa alfalfat
    genitive alfalfan alfalfojen
    partitive alfalfaa alfalfoja
    illative alfalfaan alfalfoihin
    singular plural
    nominative alfalfa alfalfat
    accusative nom. alfalfa alfalfat
    gen. alfalfan
    genitive alfalfan alfalfojen
    alfalfain rare
    partitive alfalfaa alfalfoja
    inessive alfalfassa alfalfoissa
    elative alfalfasta alfalfoista
    illative alfalfaan alfalfoihin
    adessive alfalfalla alfalfoilla
    ablative alfalfalta alfalfoilta
    allative alfalfalle alfalfoille
    essive alfalfana alfalfoina
    translative alfalfaksi alfalfoiksi
    abessive alfalfatta alfalfoitta
    instructive alfalfoin
    comitative See the possessive forms below.
    Possessive forms of alfalfa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
    first-person singular possessor
    singular plural
    nominative alfalfani alfalfani
    accusative nom. alfalfani alfalfani
    gen. alfalfani
    genitive alfalfani alfalfojeni
    alfalfaini rare
    partitive alfalfaani alfalfojani
    inessive alfalfassani alfalfoissani
    elative alfalfastani alfalfoistani
    illative alfalfaani alfalfoihini
    adessive alfalfallani alfalfoillani
    ablative alfalfaltani alfalfoiltani
    allative alfalfalleni alfalfoilleni
    essive alfalfanani alfalfoinani
    translative alfalfakseni alfalfoikseni
    abessive alfalfattani alfalfoittani
    instructive
    comitative alfalfoineni
    second-person singular possessor
    singular plural
    nominative alfalfasi alfalfasi
    accusative nom. alfalfasi alfalfasi
    gen. alfalfasi
    genitive alfalfasi alfalfojesi
    alfalfaisi rare
    partitive alfalfaasi alfalfojasi
    inessive alfalfassasi alfalfoissasi
    elative alfalfastasi alfalfoistasi
    illative alfalfaasi alfalfoihisi
    adessive alfalfallasi alfalfoillasi
    ablative alfalfaltasi alfalfoiltasi
    allative alfalfallesi alfalfoillesi
    essive alfalfanasi alfalfoinasi
    translative alfalfaksesi alfalfoiksesi
    abessive alfalfattasi alfalfoittasi
    instructive
    comitative alfalfoinesi
    first-person plural possessor
    singular plural
    nominative alfalfamme alfalfamme
    accusative nom. alfalfamme alfalfamme
    gen. alfalfamme
    genitive alfalfamme alfalfojemme
    alfalfaimme rare
    partitive alfalfaamme alfalfojamme
    inessive alfalfassamme alfalfoissamme
    elative alfalfastamme alfalfoistamme
    illative alfalfaamme alfalfoihimme
    adessive alfalfallamme alfalfoillamme
    ablative alfalfaltamme alfalfoiltamme
    allative alfalfallemme alfalfoillemme
    essive alfalfanamme alfalfoinamme
    translative alfalfaksemme alfalfoiksemme
    abessive alfalfattamme alfalfoittamme
    instructive
    comitative alfalfoinemme
    second-person plural possessor
    singular plural
    nominative alfalfanne alfalfanne
    accusative nom. alfalfanne alfalfanne
    gen. alfalfanne
    genitive alfalfanne alfalfojenne
    alfalfainne rare
    partitive alfalfaanne alfalfojanne
    inessive alfalfassanne alfalfoissanne
    elative alfalfastanne alfalfoistanne
    illative alfalfaanne alfalfoihinne
    adessive alfalfallanne alfalfoillanne
    ablative alfalfaltanne alfalfoiltanne
    allative alfalfallenne alfalfoillenne
    essive alfalfananne alfalfoinanne
    translative alfalfaksenne alfalfoiksenne
    abessive alfalfattanne alfalfoittanne
    instructive
    comitative alfalfoinenne
    third-person possessor
    singular plural
    nominative alfalfansa alfalfansa
    accusative nom. alfalfansa alfalfansa
    gen. alfalfansa
    genitive alfalfansa alfalfojensa
    alfalfainsa rare
    partitive alfalfaansa alfalfojaan
    alfalfojansa
    inessive alfalfassaan
    alfalfassansa
    alfalfoissaan
    alfalfoissansa
    elative alfalfastaan
    alfalfastansa
    alfalfoistaan
    alfalfoistansa
    illative alfalfaansa alfalfoihinsa
    adessive alfalfallaan
    alfalfallansa
    alfalfoillaan
    alfalfoillansa
    ablative alfalfaltaan
    alfalfaltansa
    alfalfoiltaan
    alfalfoiltansa
    allative alfalfalleen
    alfalfallensa
    alfalfoilleen
    alfalfoillensa
    essive alfalfanaan
    alfalfanansa
    alfalfoinaan
    alfalfoinansa
    translative alfalfakseen
    alfalfaksensa
    alfalfoikseen
    alfalfoiksensa
    abessive alfalfattaan
    alfalfattansa
    alfalfoittaan
    alfalfoittansa
    instructive
    comitative alfalfoineen
    alfalfoinensa

    Synonyms

    Further reading

    Irish

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English alfalfa, from Spanish alfalfa.

    Noun

    alfalfa m (genitive singular alfalfa)

    1. alfalfa, lucerne (Medicago sativa)

    Declension

    Declension of alfalfa (fourth declension, no plural)
    bare forms
    singular
    nominative alfalfa
    vocative a alfalfa
    genitive alfalfa
    dative alfalfa
    forms with the definite article
    singular
    nominative an t-alfalfa
    genitive an alfalfa
    dative leis an alfalfa
    don alfalfa

    Mutation

    Mutated forms of alfalfa
    radical eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
    alfalfa n-alfalfa halfalfa t-alfalfa

    Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
    All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

    Further reading

    Italian

    Etymology

    From Spanish alfalfa, from Arabic الْفَصْفَصَة (al-faṣfaṣa).

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /alˈfal.fa/
    • Rhymes: -alfa
    • Hyphenation: al‧fàl‧fa

    Noun

    alfalfa f (uncountable)

    1. lucerne, alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
      Synonyms: erba medica, erba Spagna

    Old Galician-Portuguese

    Alternative forms

    • alfarfa

    Etymology

      Borrowed from Arabic الْفَصْفَصَة (al-faṣfaṣa).

      Cognate with Old Catalan alfalç and Old Spanish alfalfez.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /alˈfalfa/
      • Rhymes: -alfa
      • Hyphenation: al‧fal‧fa

      Noun

      alfalfa f (plural alfalfas)

      1. alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
        • [1253 December 26, [Reinado de Affonso III] (in Latin); republished as Portugaliae Monumenta Historica, volume I, Lisbon: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, 1856, page 195:
          Et melior adiual de alfarfa ualeat quatuor denarios. Et melior solla de alfarfa ualeat tres denarios.
          (please add an English translation of this quotation)]
        • 1335, [Foros de Beja]; republished as Collecção de ineditos de historia portugueza, volume V, Lisbon: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, 1790, page 534:
          Da carrerga de sparto, e de baraços dalfalfa, e de soltas quatro dinheiros do maravide da boa moeda, que som per esta moeda dous mil dinheiros, que som oyto libras e sseys soldos e oito dinheiros, que som dous reaes de tres meia e biinte seis soldos e oito dinheiros.
          (please add an English translation of this quotation)

      Descendants

      References

      • José Pedro Machado (1995) “alfalfa”, in Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa: com a mais antiga documentação escrita e conhecida de muitos dos vocábulos estudados (in Portuguese), 7 edition, volume I, Lisboa: Livros Horizonte, →ISBN, page 189, column 2

      Spanish

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /alˈfalfa/ [alˈfal.fa]
      • Rhymes: -alfa
      • Syllabification: al‧fal‧fa

      Etymology 1

        Inherited from Old Spanish alfalfez, from Arabic الْفَصْفَصَة (al-faṣfaṣa).

        Alternative forms

        Noun

        alfalfa f (plural alfalfas)

        1. alfalfa
        Derived terms
        Descendants

        Etymology 2

        Verb

        alfalfa

        1. inflection of alfalfar:
          1. third-person singular present indicative
          2. second-person singular imperative

        Further reading