le·gu·mi·nous / liˈgyoōmənəs/ • adj. Bot. of, relating to, or denoting plants of the pea family (Leguminosae). They have seeds in pods, distinctive flowers, and typically root nodules containing symbiotic bacteria able to fix nitrogen. Compare with papilionaceous.

leguminous pert. to pulse; of the pea and bean family. XVII. — modL. legūminōsus, f. L. legūmen, -min- pulse, bean (whence, through F., legume beans, peas, etc. XVII; pod of leguminous plant (XVIII;) see -OUS.