Trefoil

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[edit] Architecture

Trefoil (from Latin trifolium, three-leaved plant, French trèfle, German Dreiblatt and Dreiblattbogen) is a term in Gothic architecture given to the ornamental foliation or cusping introduced in the heads of window-lights, tracery, panellings, etc., in which the center takes the form of a three-lobed leaf (formed from three partially-overlapping circles). One of the earliest examples is in the plate tracery at Winchester (1222 - 1235). The four-fold version of an architectural trefoil is a quatrefoil.

A trefoil combined with an equilateral triangle was also a moderately common symbol of the Christian Trinity during the late middle ages in some parts of Europe. Two forms of this are shown below:

Outlined

Interlaced

A dove, symbolic of the Holy Spirit, is sometimes depicted within the outlined form of the trefoil combined with a triangle.

[edit] Other meanings of the term

Trefoil is also:

A common name for some kinds of clover, which have three-foiled leaves.
In mathematical knot theory, a trefoil refers to a trefoil knot.
The name of the symbol used to indicate radioactivity.
A cross-sectional arrangement of electrical cables that minimises electrodynamic forces during fault conditions.
A variation of the solitaire card game La Belle Lucie.
The adidas Trefoil is the logo of Adidas.
One particular stylized form of the heraldic trefoil is used as the main element in the logo of most Girl Guides organizations.