different between lucern vs alfalfa

English

Etymology 1

Latin lucerna.

Noun

lucern (plural lucerns)

1. (obsolete) A lamp.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Lydgate to this entry?)

Etymology 2

French luzerne.

Noun

lucern (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of lucerne (the plant alfalfa)

Etymology 3

Uncertain; possibly from Lucerne in Switzerland.

Noun

lucern (plural lucerns)

1. (obsolete) A sort of hunting dog.
   • 1603-1607, George Chapman, Bussy D'Ambois

     My lucerns, too (or dogs inur'd to hunt / Beasts of most rapine).

2. (obsolete) An animal whose fur was formerly much in request (by some supposed to be the lynx); also spelled lusern or luzern.

   • The pole-cat, martern, and the rich-skin'd lucern / I know to chase.

References

English

Etymology

From Spanish alfalfa, from early form alfalfez, from Arabic ????????????? (al-fi?fi?a), ????????????? (al-fa?fa?a, “alfalfa, lucerne”, literally “horse-food”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æl?fælf?/

Noun

alfalfa (countable and uncountable, plural alfalfas)

1. (uncountable) A plant, principally of Medicago sativa, grown as a pasture crop.

   Synonym: (British) lucerne

2. (countable) A type or breed of this plant.

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Irish: alfalfa
• ? Welsh: alffalffa

Translations

Further reading

• alfalfa on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Medicago sativa on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Medicago sativa on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• alfalfa at USDA Plants database
• alfalfa on Integrated Taxonomic Information System.

Finnish

Noun

alfalfa

1. alfalfa

Declension

Synonyms

• sinimailanen

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from English alfalfa, from Spanish alfalfa.

Noun

alfalfa m (genitive singular alfalfa)

1. alfalfa, lucerne (Medicago sativa)

Declension

Mutation

Further reading

• "alfalfa" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.

Spanish

Alternative forms

• alfalfez (Argentina)

Etymology

From Arabic ????????????? (al-fi?fi?a), ????????????? (al-fa?fa?a).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al?falfa/, [al?fal.fa]

Noun

alfalfa f (plural alfalfas)

1. alfalfa

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? English: alfalfa
  • ? Irish: alfalfa
  • ? Welsh: alffalffa

Further reading

• “alfalfa” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.