From Middle Englishbene, from Old Englishbēan, from Proto-West Germanic*baunu, from Proto-Germanic*baunō(“bean”), from Proto-Indo-European*bʰabʰ-(“bean”). Cognate with Scotsbene, bein(“bean”), North Frisianbuan(“bean”), Saterland FrisianBoone(“bean”), West Frisianbean, beanne(“bean”), Dutchboon(“bean”), GermanBohne(“bean”), LuxembourgishBoun(“bean”), Danishbønne(“bean”), Faroesebøn, bøna(“bean”), Icelandicbaun(“bean”), Norwegian Bokmålbønne(“bean”), Norwegian Nynorskbauna, baune, bogna, bønne, Swedishböna(“bean”), Irishpónaire(“bean”), Manxpoanrey(“bean”), Scottish Gaelicpònair(“bean”), Latinfaba(“bean”), Russianбоб(bob, “bean”), Serbo-Croatianбо̏б/bȍb. Doublet of fava.
Pronunciation
[edit]
enPR: bēn, IPA(key): /biːn/
Audio (US):
(file)
Homophone: been (in some dialects)
Rhymes: -iːn
Noun
[edit]
bean (plural beans)
Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. Coordinate term:pea
2004, T. N. Shivenanda, B. R. V. Iyengar, Phosphorus Management in French Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Ramdane Dris, S. Mohan Jain (editors), Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops, Volume 2: Plant Mineral Nutrition and Pesticide Management, page 79, Beans are a large group of leguminous vegetables that serve as a main source of proteins in human diet. This group comprises several species and some of them are Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis); Broad bean (Vicia faba); Cluster bean (Cyamposis tetragonoloba); French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris);[…].
The large edible seed of such a plant (for example, a broad bean, navy bean, or garbanzo bean).
The edible seedpod of such a plant. Green beans, also called French beans, can be pickled.
(by extension) The bean-like seed of certain other plants, such as a vanilla bean or (especially) a coffee bean.
(by extension) 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.
(slang) The head or brain. Synonym:noggin
1959, Maxwell Droke, You and the World to Come, page 173:Now, there was a perfectly sound forecast for you. Certainly a case of using the old bean. The surmise was perfectly logical.
1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XI and XV:I saw her quiver and kept a wary eye on the ginger ale bottle. But even if she had raised it and brought it down on [my] bean, I couldn't have been more stunned than I was by the words that left her lips. [...] Well, as I say, it was from his fertile bean that the idea sprang.
(slang) The human clitoris.
2010, Cynthia W. Gentry, Dana Fredst, What Women Really Want in Bed: The Surprising Secrets Women Wish Men Knew about Sex, Quiver, published 2010, →ISBN, page 64:For one, don't stage a full-frontal assault on her bean.
For more quotations using this term, see Citations:bean.
(slang, often endearing) A person; especially, a baby.
2000 April 9, Richard G Cheek, “Apologies, DimWit Dana”, in talk.politics.guns (Usenet):Sparky is a good bean, even if he is a carpet-bagging bean at that.
2002 March 21, Yena, "oh my bloody god boys!", microsoft.public.xbox, Usenet: i dont want boid (whoever said that) he is mean. boid is a mean bean.
2007, Alex Bradley, Hot Lunch, Penguin, →ISBN:"Good, because we like you. You're okay. You're a good bean." "I never thought I'd be friends with a cheerleader," I said.
(British, slang, archaic) A guinea coin or sovereign.
(British, slang, chiefly in the negative) Money. I haven't got a bean.
(Java programming language)Clipping of JavaBean.
2017, Iuliana Cosmina, Rob Harrop, Chris Schaefer, Clarence Ho, Pro Spring 5, 5th edition, Apress, →ISBN, page 131:The singerOne bean has values for both the name and age properties, so it passes through the init() method with absolutely no changes.
(slang) Any form of tablet, especially benzedrine (benny).
2022, Sean Thor Conroe, Fuccboi[2], Hachette, →ISBN:Once the bean kicked in I started wilding.
(colloquial, chiefly in the plural) A toe bean.
Usage notes
[edit]
Beans and peas are sometimes misidentified (confused with one another); they are both legumes (belonging to the family Fabaceae) and seeds. Peas are a type of bean with smaller, round seeds in the pod, in contrast to the oval or kidney-shaped seeds usually referred to as beans. Because both terms are applied to a wide range of different legumes, the distinction is not always clear: garbanzo bean is a synonym of chickpea.
The word bean has referred to a wide class of seeds since pre-Columbian times (when only the Eurasian types were known to Germanic language speakers), but, after Columbian contact, it was extended to other seeds belonging to the New World genus Phaseolus (runner beans, lima beans, and so on; see bean § Terminology for details). The fruits or seeds of some other non-Fabaceae plants (e.g., coffee beans, cocoa beans, vanilla beans, castor beans) are also referred to as beans, because of their resemblance to beans as named in the stricter sense.
Hyponyms
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adsuki bean
aduki bean
adzuki bean
algaroba bean
algarroba bean
Anasazi bean
asparagus bean
azuki bean
baked beans, baked bean
baking beans
bay bean
beach bean
bean shooter
Bengal bean, Benghal bean
bitter bean
black bean
blackbean
black bean sauce, black-bean sauce
black-eyed bean
black turtle bean
blue beans
bog bean
bogbean
Bolita bean
bonavist bean
borlotti bean
boston bean
broadbean
broad bean
brown bean
buck bean
buckbean
buffalo bean
bush bean
butter bean
butterbean
cacao bean
Calabar bean
calico bean
calico beans
cannellini bean
carob bean
castor bean
castor-oil bean
ceci bean
chili beans
China bean
Chinese long bean
civet bean
cluster bean
cocoa bean
coffee bean
common bean
coral bean
corona bean
cow bean
cowboy beans
cranberry bean
djenkol bean
dollar bean
donkey bean
dragon tongue bean
Dutch case-knife bean
dwarf bean
edible bean
Egyptian bean
English bean
English runner bean
Entity Bean
European bean
faba bean
fava bean
fetish bean
field bean
flageolet bean
flick the bean
Florida bean
Florida velvet bean
French bean
french bean
French filet bean
fresh bean
full of beans
garbanzo bean
gemsbuck beans
giant stock bean
give someone beans
goa bean
great northern bean
great Northern bean
green bean
green bean galaxy
guar bean
guava bean
haricot bean
haricot vert bean
hog's bean
horse bean
horsebean
human bean
hyacinth bean
ice-cream bean
Ignatius' bean
Indian bean
Italian flat bean
jack bean
java bean
jellybean
jelly bean
jequirity bean
jering bean
jolly bean
jumby bean
jumping bean
Kentucky wonder bean
Kersting's bean
kidney bean
Leichhardt's bean
lima bean, Lima bean
locust bean
lupini bean
Lyon bean
Mackenzie bean
Madagascar bean
magotty bay bean
Manila bean
marama bean
marrow bean
mash bean
mat bean
matchbox bean
matpe bean
mescalbean
mescal bean
mesquite bean
Message-driven Bean
Mexican bean
Mexican jumping bean
Mexican yam bean
mini beans
Molucca bean
mongo bean
moong bean
morama bean
morning bean
moth bean
mung bean
mungo bean
navy bean
old bean
ordeal bean
pea bean
pearl haricot bean
pichurim bean
pink bean
pinto bean
poison bean
pole bean
Price's potato-bean
Pythagorean bean
Queensland bean
red bean
refried beans, refried bean
rice and beans
rice bean (Vigna umbellata)
Romano bean
runner bean
sacred bean
sand bean
scarlet runner bean
screwbean
screw bean
sea bean
seabean
sea green bean
shell bean
sieva bean
smoking bean
snail bean
snap bean
snuffbox bean
soja bean
soup beans
soya bean
soy bean
soybean
Spanish bean
speckled butter bean
spill the beans
St Ignatius' bean
St Ignatius's bean
stink bean
stinky bean
string bean
stringless bean
St. Thomas bean
sugar bean
sword bean
tepary bean
the dollar bean
tickbean
tick bean
tonca bean
tonga bean
tonka bean
tonqua bean
tonquin bean
turtle bean
twisted cluster bean
urd bean
vanilla bean
velvet bean
Walkman Bean
wax bean
waxbean
wax-pod bean
Welsh bean
white bean
white pea bean
wild bean
Windsor bean
winged bean
wolf bean
wonder bean
yam bean
Yankee bean
yardlong bean
yard-long bean
yellow bean
software: JavaBeans
managed bean
Derived terms
[edit]
African locust bean
a hill of beans
asparagus-bean
Banstead
BaseBean
bean aphid
bean aphis
beanbag
bean-bag
bean bag
bean ball
beanball
bean beetle
bean-belly
bean blight
beanbrain
beanbrawl
beanbreath
bean bruchid
bean-brush
beanburger
bean-butter
beancake
bean cake
bean-cake
bean caper
bean-caper
bean choke
bean chute
bean clam
bean-cod
bean counter
bean-counter
bean cowrie
bean-crake
bean curd
bean curve
bean dip
bean-dolphin
bean-eater
beaner
beanery
bean family
beanfeast
bean feast
bean-feast
bean-fed
beanfield
bean flicker
bean-flicker
bean flicking
beanflour
bean-fly
bean fly
bean-goose
bean goose
Beanhead
beanhole
bean hole
bean-hool
bean-hull
beanie
beanie baby
Beanie Baby
beanie key
bean iron ore
bean jar
bean king
bean-king
bean leafroller
beanless
bean-like
beanlike
bean machine
bean masher
beanmeal
bean metal
bean-mouse
bean mouth
bean of Molucca
bean of St Ignatius
bean oil
bean paste
bean pie
bean plant
beanplot
beanpole, bean-pole, bean pole
beanpot
bean pot
Beanpot
bean queen
bean rag
bean salad
beans bunny
Bean Scripting Framework
bean seed fly
bean-shaped plasma
bean-shatter
bean shoot
bean-shooter
bean shot
bean-shot copper
bean-shouter
bean slot
beans on toast
beanspilling
bean sprout
beanstalk, bean-stalk
bean stitch
bean-straw
bean thread noodles
bean threads
bean-to-bar
bean tostada
Bean Town
Beantown
bean tree
bean-tree
bean-trefoil
bean trefoil
bean-vine
bean wagon
beanwater
beanweed
bean weevil
bean-wood
beany
blackbean
black bean aphid
bobby bean
bogbean
boring as beans
broadbean
buckbean
buck-bean
bullets and beans
bush-bean
butterbean
campfire beans
castor-bean
castor bean tick
charro bean
chuckwagon beans
clean as a bean
cool beans
cowboy beans
desert bean
dilly bean
Enola bean
fine bean
flick one's bean
for beans
full of beans
gemsbok bean
get beans
Goa bean
goa bean vine
goober bean
gully bean
horsebean
hot bean
hot boiled beans
Ignatius bean
java-bean
JavaBean
jellybean
jugo bean
keen as a bean
keep it a bean
kewl beans
know beans about
know how many beans make five
le dollar bean
locust bean gum
long-bean
Malacca-bean
Malacca bean
Malacca bean tree
Malacca-bean tree
maloga bean
May-bean
MBean
Mexican bean beetle
mole bean
multiflora bean
NetBeans
nicker bean
not care beans
not have a bean
not know beans
not worth beans
peachy keen jelly bean
pole-bean
pork and bean
pork and beans
potato-bean
prairie-bean
red bean paste
refried bean
scarlet bean
scarlet-bean
screw-bean
seabean
Senate bean soup
session bean
silly bean
snake bean
snoutbean
snuff box sea bean
soup beans
soybean
spill the beans
stinking bean trefoil
St. Thomas' beangive someone beans
sweet bean sauce
tickbean
toe bean
tough beans
tundra bean goose
waxbean
Descendants
[edit]
→ Fiji Hindi: biin
Translations
[edit] plant of Fabaceae that produces edible seeds or pods
bean (third-person singular simple present beans, present participle beaning, simple past and past participle beaned)
(chiefly baseball) To hit with a projectile, especially a deliberately aimed blow to the head. The pitcher beaned the batter, rather than letting him hit another home run.
1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IX and XI:Though I shall have to exercise an iron self-restraint to keep me from beaning that pie-faced little hornswoggler Mrs Bertram Wooster, nee Wickham, with the shaker. [...] dudgeon might easily lead her to reach for the ginger ale bottle and bean me with it.
Further reading
[edit]
bean on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Bean (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
“bean n.1”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
Anagrams
[edit]
Bane, Bena, bane, nabe
Basque
[edit]
Noun
[edit]
bean
inessive singular of be
Gagauz
[edit]
Pronoun
[edit]
bean (definite accusative beni, plural biz)
obsolete spelling of bän
Further reading
[edit]
Ciachir, Mihail (1938), “bean”, in Dicționar gagauzo (tiurco)–român pentru gagauzii din Basarabia (in Romanian), Chișinău, page 14
bheanaimis; bheanadh muid / mbeanaimis‡‡; mbeanadh muid‡‡
bheanadh sibh / mbeanadh sibh‡‡
bheanaidís; bheanadh siad / mbeanaidís‡‡; mbeanadh siad‡‡
a bheanadh /a mbeanadh*
bheantaí / mbeanta퇇
future
beanfaidh mé; beanfad
beanfaidh tú; beanfair†
beanfaidh sé, sí
beanfaimid; beanfaidh muid
beanfaidh sibh
beanfaidh siad; beanfaid†
a bheanfaidh; a bheanfas /a mbeanfaidh*
beanfar
conditional
bheanfainn / mbeanfainn‡‡
bheanfá / mbeanfᇇ
bheanfadh sé, sí / mbeanfadh sé, s퇇
bheanfaimis; bheanfadh muid / mbeanfaimis‡‡; mbeanfadh muid‡‡
bheanfadh sibh / mbeanfadh sibh‡‡
bheanfaidís; bheanfadh siad / mbeanfaidís‡‡; mbeanfadh siad‡‡
a bheanfadh /a mbeanfadh*
bheanfaí / mbeanfa퇇
subjunctive
present
go mbeana mé; go mbeanad†
go mbeana tú; go mbeanair†
go mbeana sé, sí
go mbeanaimid; go mbeana muid
go mbeana sibh
go mbeana siad; go mbeanaid†
—
go mbeantar
past
dá mbeanainn
dá mbeantá
dá mbeanadh sé, sí
dá mbeanaimis; dá mbeanadh muid
dá mbeanadh sibh
dá mbeanaidís; dá mbeanadh siad
—
dá mbeantaí
imperative
–
beanaim
bean
beanadh sé, sí
beanaimis
beanaigí; beanaidh†
beanaidís
—
beantar
* indirect relative† archaic or dialect form‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis
Mutation
[edit]
Mutated forms of bean
radical
lenition
eclipsis
bean
bhean
mbean
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
[edit]
^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931), Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 107, page 58
^ Finck, F. N. (1899), Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), Zweiter Band: Wörterbuch [Second volume: Dictionary], Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 38
^ Mhac an Fhailigh, Éamonn (1968), The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo: A Phonemic Study, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, section 207, page 48
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906), A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 244, page 88
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “ben”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “benaid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Further reading
[edit]
Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “bean”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 88; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “bean”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Middle English
[edit]
Etymology 1
[edit]
Verb
[edit]
bean
alternative form of been(“to be”)
Etymology 2
[edit]
Noun
[edit]
bean
alternative form of bene(“bean”)
Old English
[edit]
Alternative forms
[edit]
bīen
Etymology
[edit]
From Proto-West Germanic*baunu.
Cognates
Cognate with Old Frisianbāne, bām (West Frisianbean), Old Saxonbōna (Low GermanBohn), Dutchboon, Old High Germanbōna (GermanBohne), Old Norsebaun (Danishbønne, Swedishböna).
↑ 1.0 1.1Brückner, Aleksander (1927), “bean”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish), Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna: “‘fryc’, cham’, z gwary żakowskiej, łac. beanus z franc. béjaune, ‘żółtodziób’”
Further reading
[edit]
bean in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Scottish Gaelic
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]
From Middle Irishben,[1] from Old Irishben. Cognates include Irishbean and Manxben.
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
[edit]
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “ben”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ John MacPherson (1945) The Gaelic dialect of North Uist (Thesis)[1], Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh
^ Oftedal, M. (1956), A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
Further reading
[edit]
Edward Dwelly (1911), “bean”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary][3], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
Mark, Colin (2003), “bean”, in The Gaelic–English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 68
Swedish
[edit]
Noun
[edit]
bean
definite singular of bea
West Frisian
[edit]
Alternative forms
[edit]
beane, beanne
Etymology
[edit]
From Old Frisianbāne, from Proto-West Germanic*baunu.
Cognate with Dutchboon, Englishbean, GermanBohne.
Pronunciation
[edit]
IPA(key): /bɪə̯n/
Noun
[edit]
beanc (plural beanen, diminutive beantsje)
bean
Further reading
[edit]
“bean”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011
bean on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 