Vetch

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Vetch \Vetch\ (v[e^]ch), n. [Also fitch; OE. ficche, feche, for
     veche, OF. veche, vecce, vesche, vesce, F. vesce, fr. L.
     vicia.] (Bot.)
     Any leguminous plant of the genus {Vicia}, some species of
     which are valuable for fodder. The common species is {Vicia
     sativa}.


     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The name is also applied to many other leguminous
           plants of different genera; as the chichling vetch, of
           the genus {Lathyrus}; the horse vetch, of the genus
           {Hippocrepis}; the kidney vetch ({Anthyllis
           vulneraria}); the milk vetch, of the genus
           {Astragalus}; the licorice vetch, or wild licorice
           ({Abrus precatorius}).
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  vetch
       n : any of various climbing plants of the genus Vicia having
           pinnately compound leaves that terminate in tendrils and
           small variously colored flowers; includes valuable forage
           and soil-building plants

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  54 Moby Thesaurus words for "vetch":
     algae, autophyte, bean, bracken, brown algae, climber, conferva,
     confervoid, creeper, diatom, fern, fruits and vegetables, fucus,
     fungus, grapevine, green algae, gulfweed, herb, heterophyte, ivy,
     kelp, legume, lentil, liana, lichen, liverwort, mold, moss,
     mushroom, parasite, parasitic plant, pea, perthophyte,
     phytoplankton, planktonic algae, plant families, puffball, pulse,
     red algae, rockweed, rust, saprophyte, sargasso, sargassum,
     sea lentil, sea moss, sea wrack, seaweed, smut, succulent,
     toadstool, vine, wort, wrack