A leguminous plant with purple flowers, grown as fodder for livestock and sometimes eaten by humans as sprouts. It's valued for its high protein content and ability to fix nitrogen in soil.
From Spanish alfalfa, which derives from Arabic الفِصْفِصَة (al-fiṣfiṣa), meaning 'the best fodder' or 'fresh fodder'. The Arabic term entered Spanish during the Islamic period in Iberia, and Spanish colonizers later brought both the word and the plant to the Americas. English adopted the term in the mid-19th century as this nutritious crop became important in American agriculture.
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