lupin
lupin Lexical Profile
lupin Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of various plants of the genus Lupinus in the legume family Fabaceae, widely distributed across the Americas and the Mediterranean, having palmate leaves and tall, showy spikes of pea-like blossoms in shades of blue, purple, pink, yellow, or white.
"Tall purple lupins bloomed in dense clusters along the gravelly roadside all summer."
The edible, protein-rich seed or bean of certain cultivated species of this plant (especially Lupinus albus), traditionally soaked in brine and eaten as a snack or ground into flour in Mediterranean and South American cuisine.
"The market stall sold bowls of salted yellow lupins alongside olives and roasted nuts."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled "lupin" primarily in British and Commonwealth English, and "lupine" in American English; not to be confused with the adjective "lupine" meaning wolf-like.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French lupin, from Latin lupīnus ("belonging to a wolf"), derived from lupus ("wolf"), from an ancient belief that the plant's roots depleted the soil rapidly.