bean

Meaning

Noun

1. Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods.
2. The large edible seed of such a plant (for example, a broad bean, navy bean, or garbanzo bean).
3. The edible seedpod of such a plant.
4. (broadly) The bean-like seed of certain other plants, such as a vanilla bean or (especially) a coffee bean.
5. (broadly) An object resembling a pea or bean in shape, often made from plastic or styrofoam and used in large numbers as packing material or as stuffing for beanbags and similar items.
6. (slang) The head or brain.
7. (slang) The human clitoris.
8. (endearing, often, slang) A person; especially, a baby.
9. (British, archaic, slang) A guinea coin or sovereign.
10. (British, slang) Money.
11. (abbreviation, alt-of, clipping) Clipping of JavaBean.
12. (slang) Any form of tablet, especially benzedrine (benny).
13. (colloquial, in-plural) A toe bean.

Verb

To hit with a projectile, especially a deliberately aimed blow to the head.

Synonyms

pea

kidney bean

haricot

beans

🫘

bean plant

edible bean

common bean

broad bean

legume

dome

noggin

peanut

noodle

nut

bonce

cowpeas

attic

grain

peas

soy

soybean

soy bean

spicule

string beans

green beans

French bean

red bean

string bean

pipe joint

dwarf bean

leguminous plant

adzuki bean

potato bean

wild bean

nozzle tip

pipe coupling

pipe junction

pipe connection

tube joint

pipe head

tube union

port fitting

ball

cannon ball

coupler

coupling

granule

groundnut

haricot bean

head

Translations

haricot

Bohne

fagiolo

boon

feijão

frijol

judía

φασόλι

fasulye

alubia

haba

فَاصُولِيَا

mongeta

habichuela

Pronounced as (IPA)

/biːn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: bene

Inherited from Old English: bēan

Cognate with Scots: bene

Cognate with Western Frisian: bean

Cognate with Dutch: boon

Cognate with German: Bohne

Cognate with Swedish: böna

Cognate with Danish: bønne

Cognate with Norwegian: bønne

Cognate with Icelandic: baun

Cognate with Latin: faba

Cognate with Russian: боб

Cognate with Serbo-Croatian: бо̏б

In summary

From Middle English bene, from Old English bēan, from Proto-West Germanic *baunu, from Proto-Germanic *baunō (“bean”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ- (“bean”). Cognate with Scots bene, bein (“bean”), North Frisian buan (“bean”), Saterland Frisian Boone (“bean”), West Frisian bean, beanne (“bean”), Dutch boon (“bean”), German Bohne (“bean”), Luxembourgish Boun (“bean”), Danish bønne (“bean”), Faroese bøn, bøna (“bean”), Icelandic baun (“bean”), Norwegian Bokmål bønne (“bean”), Norwegian Nynorsk bauna, baune, bogna, bønne, Swedish böna (“bean”), Irish pónaire (“bean”), Manx poanrey (“bean”), Scottish Gaelic pònair (“bean”), Latin faba (“bean”), Russian боб (bob, “bean”), Serbo-Croatian бо̏б/bȍb. Doublet of fava.