bean

bean — noun

1. an edible seed or young pod from a bean plant, usually cooked for a meal; the pl

1.nounA1
Definition

an edible seed or young pod from a bean plant, usually cooked for a meal; the plant itself can also be called a bean.

Example

Vesna cut fresh beans into the soup with carrots and potatoes.

food use: beans as a vegetable

We grew runner beans behind the shed and picked them every July.

Common collocations
  • green beans
  • black beans
  • bean plant
  • pick beans
  • cook beans
Synonyms
  • legume

    a wider and more technical word for this plant family

  • pulse

    usually means the dried edible seeds of beans, peas, and lentils

  • green bean

    one specific fresh type, not the whole group

Grammar Patterns

green beans

black beans

bean plant

Usage Note

Often plural when talking about food on a plate. Distinguish from sense 2, which is used for coffee and other bean-shaped seeds rather than vegetables.

Common Mistakes

I ate a plate of bean.
I ate a plate of beans.
when talking about the food, English usually uses the plural form.

2. the hard seed inside coffee fruit, or a similar seed from plants such as cocoa o

2.nounB1
Definition

the hard seed inside coffee fruit, or a similar seed from plants such as cocoa or vanilla that looks like a bean.

Example

The shop roasts its coffee beans every morning before the doors open.

coffee beans — most common use

Dark brown cocoa beans dried on mats behind the farmhouse.

Common collocations
  • coffee beans
  • cocoa beans
  • vanilla bean
  • roast coffee beans
Synonyms
  • seed

    the general word; 'bean' is used because of the shape

  • kernel

    can mean the inner seed part, but is less usual for coffee or cocoa

Grammar Patterns

coffee bean

cocoa bean

vanilla bean

Usage Note

Most often seen in fixed combinations such as 'coffee bean' and 'cocoa bean'. Distinguish from sense 1, which refers to vegetables you cook and eat.

Common Mistakes

Coffee grows on bean plants.
Coffee beans grow on coffee plants.
here 'bean' names the seed, not the vegetable plant.

3. someone's head or thinking part, used in relaxed speech.

3.nounB2
Definition

someone's head or thinking part, used in relaxed speech.

Example

The ball hit Jake on the bean during lunch break.

informal body-part noun

Use your bean and check the map before we drive.

fixed phrase: use your bean

Common collocations
  • hit on the bean
  • bump your bean
  • use your bean
Synonyms
  • head

    the normal everyday word

  • brain

    focuses more on thinking than on the physical body part

  • noggin

    another playful informal word, mainly in American English

Grammar Patterns

hit someone on the bean

use your bean

Usage Note

Informal and slightly playful. It often appears after verbs like 'hit' or 'bump', or in fixed phrases such as 'use your bean'.

Common Mistakes

The doctor examined his bean.
The doctor examined his head.
'bean' is too informal for medical or formal situations.
Idioms

full of beans/life

idiom

Having a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

After a good night's sleep, Maya was full of beans.

The puppy is always full of life, even after a long walk.

a hill of beans

idiom

Something that has very little value or importance.

His opinion on the matter is a hill of beans to me.

All their complaints amounted to a hill of beans.

not have a bean

idiom

To have no money at all.

After paying the rent, I didn't have a bean left.

He couldn't go out because he didn't have a bean.

not know beans about something

idiom

To know nothing about a particular subject.

I don't know beans about fixing cars, so I called a mechanic.

She doesn't know beans about French history, but she loves the food.

spill the beans/tea

idiom

To reveal secret or private information to someone.

Don't spill the beans about the surprise party for Sara.

He spilled the tea on his brother's engagement before the announcement.

bean — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Bean' is the everyday word for many edible seeds and pods, especially larger ones such as black beans, kidney beans, or green beans. 'Pea' usually means the small round green seed, while 'lentil' names the flat disk-shaped seed often used in soup or curry. 'Pulse' is a broader food word for dried beans, peas, and lentils, common in nutrition writing but less common in daily speech. 'Legume' is the scientific umbrella term for the whole plant family, including the plants as well as the seeds. So a cook buys black beans, a child eats peas, a recipe asks for red lentils, and a health article may praise pulses or legumes.

bean ↗pea ↗lentil ↗pulse ↗legume

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Bean is a very old Germanic word. Old English had bēan for this kind of edible seed, and related forms still appear in words such as Dutch boon and German Bohne. The basic meaning has changed little over time. Later English also used the word for other seeds with a similar shape, such as coffee beans, and then informally for a person's head because of the rough shape comparison.