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Definition: bean from Philip's Encyclopedia

Plant grown for its edible seeds and seed pods. The broad bean (Vicia faba) is native to N Africa. The string bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is native to tropical South America, and is common in the USA; several varieties are cultivated. The runner (P. coccineus) has scarlet, rather than white or lilac flowers, and shorter, broader seeds. See also soya bean


bean

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
name applied to the seeds of leguminous trees and shrubs and to various leguminous plants of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family) with edible seeds or seed pods (legumes). The genera and species encompassed by the term bean are many and variable. The broad beans ( Vicia faba , of the vetch genus), the soybean types ( Glycine max ), and a few lesser species were the only beans known to the Old World before the discovery of America, by which time the indigenous peoples had already developed most of the bean types still used today, e.g., the lima beans, kidney beans, string beans, shell beans, and pea beans. All these are species and varieties of Phaseolus , the “true” bean genus; the hereditary history of most is unknown, and hence the taxonomic distinctions are often still uncertain. The plants are easily cultivated but susceptible to several diseases, e.g., rusts, blights, wilts, and bean anthracnose (a fungus). In general, beans are warm-season annuals (although the roots of…
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Full text Article beans

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Good Health
Beans Source: Keith Weller. U.S. Department of...
Seeds of trailing vines, as well as bushy plants belonging to the legume family. Beans can be divided into two groups: One yields edible pods, picked at an immature stage; another yields only edible seeds. In the former group are snap beans, yellow wax, and green beans. Bush varieties grow as short…
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Full text Article bean

From The Oxford Companion to Food
a term loosely applied to any legume whose seeds or pods are eaten, and which is not classed separately as a pea or lentil . The nutritional and agricultural advantages of beans and other legumes are discussed under legumes . See also dal ; gram ; pulse ; and (for what is perhaps the single most…
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Full text Article bean

From The Macquarie Dictionary
the edible fruit or seed of various species of the family Fabaceae especially of the genus Phaseolus used either fresh or dried. Plural: beans a plant producing such seeds. Plural: beans any of various other bean-like seeds or plants, as the coffee bean. Plural: beans Colloquial a coin; anything of…
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Full text Article bean

From The Chambers Dictionary
the name of several kinds of leguminous plants and their seeds, esp the common or broad bean ( Vicia faba ) and the French, kidney or haricot bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ); applied also to the seeds of other plants, from their bean-like form, such as coffee; a coin ( obs except in not a bean ( inf ) …
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Full text Article bean

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
name applied to the seeds of leguminous trees and shrubs and to various leguminous plants of the family Leguminosae ( pulse family) with edible seeds or seed pods (legumes). The genera and species encompassed by the term bean are many and variable. The broad beans ( Vicia faba , of the vetch genus), …
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Full text Article bean

From Collins English Dictionary
n 1 any of various leguminous plants of the widely cultivated genus Phaseolus producing edible seeds in pods See French bean lima bean scarlet runner string bean 2 any of several other leguminous plants that bear edible pods or seeds, such as the broad bean and soya bean 3 any of various other…
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Full text Article bean

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Seed of a large number of leguminous plants (see legume ). Beans are rich in nitrogen compounds and proteins and are grown both for human consumption and as food for cattle and horses. Varieties of bean are grown throughout Europe, the USA, South America, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Australia. …
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Full text Article bean

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
a. Any of various twining herbs of the genus Phaseolus in the pea family, native to the Americas, having leaves with three leaflets and variously colored flowers, and widely cultivated for their edible pods and seeds. b. A seed or pod of any of these plants. Any of several related plants or their…
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Full text Article Bean

From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
A contemptuous term for an accountant or other financial expert, especially one who has excessive control over the affairs of a company, to the detriment of more creative input. The word emerged in the US in the mid-1970s. Much the same as wayzgoose . It was properly an annual dinner given by an…
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Full text Article BEAN

From Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink
Any of a variety of pods from plants in the genus Phaseolus , and, for culinary purposes, especially P. vulgaris , of which there are more than a thousand varieties. The word is from the Old English b ē an. The oldest domesticated beans in the Americas were found in the Ocampo Caves of Mexico, …
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