légume

See also: legume

French

légumes (1)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin legūmen (cf. older form lesgum); was once feminine and became masculine by the 17th century. Replaced the Old French leün, which was inherited from the same source. Compare Italian and Portuguese legume, Spanish legumbre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le.ɡym/

• audio:

  (file)

Noun

légume m (plural légumes)

1. (cooking) vegetable

   Manger des légumes est très bon pour la santé.

   Eating vegetables is very good for one's health.

2. (figuratively, informal, offensive) vegetable, cabbage (someone in a vegetative state)

   Depuis qu’il a eu un accident de voiture, il ressemble à un vrai légume.

   Since his car accident he has turned into a complete vegetable.

3. (botany, dated) legume; pod

   Le fruit de la vesce est un légume au sens strict.

   The seed of vetch is a legume in the strict sense of the word.

4. (figuratively, informal) couch potato

Synonyms

• (vegetable): (Louisiana, Cajun French) épi m
• (pod): gousse

Derived terms

• grosse légume

Descendants

• English: legume

Further reading

• “légume”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• meugle, meuglé