lucerne

noun

lu·​cerne lü-ˈsərn 

variants or less commonly lucern

chiefly British

: alfalfa

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French luzerne, going back to Middle French lauserne, lyserne, borrowed from Occitan (Provence) luzerno, probably extension of the dialectal sense "glowworm" (alluding to the glossy yellow seeds of some alfalfa varieties), going back to Old Occitan luzerna "lamp," going back to Latin lucerna "oil lamp," derivative (with unexplained short u) from the base of lūc-, lūx "light," with the suffix of lanterna lantern — more at light entry 1

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Geographical Definition

Lucerne

geographical name

Lu·​cerne lü-ˈsərn 

variants or German Luzern

lüt-ˈsern 

1

canton of central Switzerland area 577 square miles (1494 square kilometers), population 390,000

2

commune on Lake of Lucerne, central Switzerland population 80,500

Note: The commune of Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne.