From Old English 'clāfre,' likely related to 'cleave'—named for its split, three-part leaf.
A low-growing leguminous plant of the genus Trifolium, with trifoliate leaves and dense flower heads, widely used as fodder.
From Old English 'clāfre,' from Proto-Germanic *klaibron, related to 'clēofan' (to cleave, to split). The name likely refers to the plant's split, three-part leaf. The phrase 'in clover' meaning prosperous dates to 1710, from well-fed cattle grazing on clover-rich