légume

Borrowed from Latin legūmen (cf. older form lesgum); was once feminine and became masculine by the 17th century. Replaced the Old French leün, which was inherited from the same source. Compare Italian and Portuguese legume, Catalan llegum, Spanish legumbre.

• IPA^(key): /le.ɡym/

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légume m (plural légumes)

1. (cooking) vegetable

   Synonym: (Cajun French) épi

   Manger des légumes est très bon pour la santé.

   Eating vegetables is very good for one's health.

2. (figuratively, informal, offensive) vegetable, cabbage (someone in a vegetative state)

   Depuis qu'il a eu un accident de voiture, il ressemble à un vrai légume.

   Since his car accident he has turned into a complete vegetable.

3. (botany, dated) legume; pod

   Synonym: gousse

   Le fruit de la vesce est un légume au sens strict.

   The seed of vetch is a legume in the strict sense of the word.

4. (figuratively, informal) couch potato

• grosse légume

• English: legume

• “légume”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

• meugle, meuglé