Lĕg'ūme or Le-gūme', n.
n. [Fr. légume, Pr. legum, It. & Pg. legume, Sp. legumbre, Lat. legumen, from legere, to gather; so called because they may be gathered without cutting.]
Sense 1. (Bot.) A pod dehiscent into two pieces or valves, and having the seed attached at one suture, as that of the pea.
☞ In the latter circumstance, it differs from a siliqua, in which the seeds are attached to both sutures. In popular use, a legume is called a pod, or cod; as, pea-pod, or peas-cod.
Sense 2. (pl.) The fruit of leguminous plants of the pea kind; pulse.
