Bean, n. [OE. bene, AS. beán; akin to D. boon, G. bohne, OHG. p, Icel. baun, Dan. bönne, Sw. böna, and perh. to Russ. bob, L. faba.].

A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera Faba, Phaseolus, and Dolichos; also, to the herbs. [1913 Webster]
" The origin and classification of many kinds are still doubtful. Among true beans are: the black-eyed bean and China bean, included in Dolichos Sinensis; black Egyptian bean or hyacinth bean, Dolichos Lablab; the common haricot beans, kidney beans, string beans, and pole beans, all included in Phaseolus vulgaris; the lower bush bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, variety nanus; Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus; Spanish bean and scarlet runner, Phaseolus multiflorus; Windsor bean, the common bean of England, Faba vulgaris." [1913 Webster]

The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less resembling true beans. [1913 Webster]

Bean aphis (Zoöl.), a plant louse (Aphis fabæ) which infests the bean plant. -- Bean fly (Zoöl.), a fly found on bean flowers. -- Bean goose (Zoöl.), a species of goose (Anser segetum). -- Bean weevil (Zoöl.), a small weevil that in the larval state destroys beans. The American species is Bruchus fabæ. -- Florida bean (Bot.), the seed of Mucuna urens, a West Indian plant. The seeds are washed up on the Florida shore, and are often polished and made into ornaments. -- Ignatius bean, or St. Ignatius's bean (Bot.), a species of Strychnos. -- Navy bean, the common dried white bean of commerce; probably so called because an important article of food in the navy. -- Pea bean, a very small and highly esteemed variety of the edible white bean; -- so called from its size. -- Sacred bean. See under Sacred. -- Screw bean. See under Screw. -- Sea bean. (a) Same as Florida bean. (b) A red bean of unknown species used for ornament. -- Tonquin bean, or Tonka bean, the fragrant seed of Dipteryx odorata, a leguminous tree. -- Vanilla bean. See under Vanilla.

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

Bean, n. & v.
--n.
1 a any kind of leguminous plant with edible usu. kidney-shaped seeds in long pods. b one of these seeds.
2 a similar seed of coffee and other plants.
3 US sl. the head.
4 (in pl.; with neg.) US sl. anything at all (doesn't know beans about it).
--v.tr. US sl. hit on the head.

Idiom

bean curd jelly or paste made from beans, used esp. in Asian cookery. bean sprout a sprout of a bean seed, esp. of the mung bean, used as food. full of beans colloq. lively; in high spirits. not a bean Brit. sl. no money. old bean Brit. sl. a friendly form of address, usu. to a man.

Etymology

OE bean f. Gmc

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THESAURUS

Bean
Irish potato, Kraut, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, algae, aubergine, autophyte, bagatelle, bauble, beans, belfry, bibelot, bit, bracken, brain, brass farthing, brow, brown algae, button, cabbage, cent, climber, conferva, confervoid, conk, creeper, crown, curio, diatom, dome, eggplant, encephalon, farce, farthing, feather, fern, fig, fleabite, folderol, fribble, frippery, fruits and vegetables, fucus, fungus, gaud, gewgaw, gimcrack, grapevine, gray matter, green algae, greens, gulfweed, hair, halfpenny, head, headpiece, herb, heterophyte, hill of beans, ivy, jest, joke, kelp, kickshaw, knickknack, knickknackery, legume, legumes, lentil, liana, lichen, liverwort, love apple, mad apple, minikin, mockery, mold, molehill, moss, mushroom, noddle, noggin, noodle, organ of thought, parasite, parasitic plant, pate, pea, peppercorn, perthophyte, phytoplankton, picayune, pieplant, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, planktonic algae, plant families, poll, potato, potherbs, produce, puffball, pulse, rap, red algae, red cent, rhubarb, ridge, rockweed, row of pins, rush, rust, saprophyte, sargasso, sargassum, sconce, sea lentil, sea moss, sea wrack, seat of thought, seaweed, sensation, sensorium, sensory, shit, smut, snap, sneeshing, sou, spud, straw, succulent, tater, toadstool, tomato, toy, trifle, trinket, triviality, tuppence, two cents, twopence, vegetables, vetch, vine, whim-wham, white potato, wort, wrack

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