legum

Legum is primarily a Latin term used as the genitive plural of lex, meaning "of the laws." In Latin texts, legum denotes possession or relation to laws and appears in many legal phrases and quotations. In English translations, legum is usually rendered as “of the laws.” The word is not commonly used as an independent English term outside scholarly Latin contexts.

In botany and common usage, legum is not an established term for plants. The related English word legume refers to plants in the family Fabaceae (also called Leguminosae) and to the seed pods these plants produce. Legumes are a diverse group of flowering plants, including many important crops and wild species.

Legumes are typically characterized by compound leaves and a distinctive fruit, a dry pod (a legume) that usually splits open along two seams when mature. Many legumes form symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules, which enhances soil fertility by converting atmospheric nitrogen into forms usable by plants. This ecological trait makes legumes valuable in crop rotations and sustainable agriculture.

Economically, legumes provide a substantial portion of global protein for human consumption and animal feed. Common examples include beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, soybeans, and peanuts. They are grown worldwide, with major production in temperate and tropical regions, and are often emphasized in agricultural systems for their nutritional value and soil-enriching properties.

In summary, legum primarily appears as a Latin genitive form related to the word for law, while legume denotes the widely cultivated plant group and its characteristic pod-bearing fruits.