clover

B1 Topic:Plants & Agriculture

US /ˈkloʊvər/ UK /ˈkləʊvə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a small plant with three-lobed leaves, often found in fields and pastures

The field was covered in a lush carpet of clover.
2

noun
a symbol of good luck, especially when it has four leaves

Finding a four-leaf clover is considered a sign of good fortune.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a small plant with... trefoilshamrockmedictrifoliumoxalis

2 noun · a symbol of good luck,... luck prosperity successgood fortuneserendipity

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

white clover
a creeping clover grown for forage, with flowers ranging from white to pale pink

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *kléu̯os via Proto-Germanic *klaiwaz, Old English clāfre ("clover; trefoil") and Middle English claver, giving Modern English clover, a plant with trifoliate leaves.

Topics

Plants & Agriculture

External links

# clover

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkloʊvər/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkləʊvə/

## Meanings
1. a small plant with three-lobed leaves, often found in fields and pastures
2. a symbol of good luck, especially when it has four leaves

## Examples
- The field was covered in a lush carpet of clover.
- Finding a four-leaf clover is considered a sign of good fortune.

## Synonyms
- trefoil
- shamrock
- medic
- trifolium
- oxalis
- luck
- prosperity
- success
- good fortune
- serendipity

## Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *kléu̯os via Proto-Germanic *klaiwaz, Old English clāfre ("clover; trefoil") and Middle English claver, giving Modern English clover, a plant with trifoliate leaves.

## AI Etymology
Clover comes from Proto-Indo-European *kléu̯os via Proto-Germanic *klaiwaz, Old English clāfre ("clover; trefoil") and Middle English claver, giving Modern English clover, a plant with trifoliate leaves. In current use it is a noun meaning "a small plant with three-lobed leaves, often found in fields and pastures". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Plants & Agriculture

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