Illustration of trefoil
- trefoil 2
trefoil
noun
tre·foil
ˈtrē-ˌfȯi(-ə)l 
ˈtre-
ˈtre-
1
a
: clover sense 1
broadly
: any of several leguminous herbs (such as bird's-foot trefoil) with leaves that have or appear to have three leaflets
b
: a trifoliolate leaf
2
: an ornament or symbol in the form of a stylized trifoliolate leaf
Examples of trefoil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The British royal wore a petite diamond ribbon brooch, which features a ribbon design in a trefoil shape.
—
Julia Teti, WWD, 16 July 2024
How long does a rope have to be in order to form a trefoil knot?
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
The simplest torus knot — indeed, the simplest nontrivial knot, period — is called a trefoil.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
The mathematics of knot theory says that a simple loop and a trefoil are fundamentally different knots.
—George Hart, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2013
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Julia Teti, WWD, 16 July 2024
How long does a rope have to be in order to form a trefoil knot?
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
The simplest torus knot — indeed, the simplest nontrivial knot, period — is called a trefoil.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
The mathematics of knot theory says that a simple loop and a trefoil are fundamentally different knots.
—George Hart, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2013
See all Example Sentences for trefoil
Dictionary Entries Near trefoil
Cite this Entry
“Trefoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trefoil. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trefoil
noun
tre·foil
ˈtrē-ˌfȯil
ˈtref-ˌȯil
ˈtref-ˌȯil
1
: any of several herbs (as a clover) of the legume family with leaves that have or appear to have three leaflets
2
: an ornament or symbol shaped like a leaf with three parts
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